Bronx Bombers

The New York Yankees starting rotation is always a revolving question-mark behind Gerrit Cole and maybe pretty reliable lefty, Jordan Montgomery. Will Luis Severino return to form in 2022? How is Jameson Taillon following his ankle surgery? Well, another question-mark presented itself on Thursday.

No news is good news. Right? That's not the way the Pinstripes usually roll. The New York Yankees are used to dominating even the bleakest of sports-news days in past years. Until Wednesday, Brian Cashman seemed content to let his crosstown rival little brother bask in their new over-priced free agent toys and their flashy new manager, who he fired way back in 1995. However, on Wednesday, the Bombers GM may have fired a shot a cross the bow, letting everyone know that the Yankee line-up is loaded and we've made changes to optimize that fire power.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone has a ton of time to think about his pitching rotation these days. One problem is, he doesn't know who is doing well coming off of injuries and who is not. Nor does he know who general manager Brian Cashman will be able to add via trade or free agency. As the players are locked out of team facilities, communication between organizational staff and their players is supposed to be non-existent. From everything that I can gather, that is true. So, let's give the manager some help and design a realistic starting five to take the Bombers back to the World Series.

In what turned out to be a crazy 8-6 extra innings win on Monday night for the New York Yankees over the Kansas City Royals, a new shortstop made his debut for the Bronx Bombers. 27 year old, Andrew Velazquez has spent most of the last decade honing his craft in the minor leagues. He was drafted out of high school in 2012 by the Arizona Diamondbacks and broke into the big leagues in 2018 with the Tampa Bay Rays. Prior to Monday had amassed a total of 96 Major League at-bats.

The Yankees came into Toronto...Buffalo struggling. An up and down first two months of the season was in a downswing, winning only 2 of their last 9. The Bombers needed the bats to come alive. Check. They needed their starting pitching and their bullpen to come through. Check. And they need some signature wins. Check.