Alfonso Soriano will be in pinstripes again tonight after the trade with the Cubs has finally become official. We are still waiting on a 25-man roster move, but no 40-man move was necessary.
Tonight's Yankees lineup vs. Tampa Bay. Welcome back #AlfonsoSoriano. Hitting cleanup tonight. pic.twitter.com/KQG3yxcrwH
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) July 26, 2013
The Yankees take on Jeremy Hellickson tonight in the first game of a three-game set at Yankee Stadium. Robinson Cano, unsurprisingly, has the best numbers against the right-hander. Cano owns a .333/.444/.867 batting line with two home runs against Hellickson. Brett Gardner has also found success in his 13 at-bats off the Rays starter, having picked up four hits and worked two walks.
Joe Girardi had benched a struggling Travis Hafner for two games against right-handers in the Rangers series, but he's back in the lineup tonight. He has an uninspiring record off Hellickson in limited at-bats, with one hit and two strikeouts in six plate appearances.
B4 traded for Soriano #Yankees checked in with #chisox on Rios were told on his no-trade and would not waive it so moved to #Cubs Soriano
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 26, 2013
Alex Rios is apparently very content to stay in Chicago, or at least not content with making a move to the Yankees. New York was one of the teams on his no-trade list and he refused to waive it. The fact that the Yankees were seemingly more interested in him than Soriano at first makes sense, but the White Sox would have likely commanded a better prospect than Corey Black in return.
Heard #Yankees also continue to be told by #Phillies that Michael Young not yet available, and might never be
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 26, 2013
This is also apparently still a thing. Yankees would likely be able to use Michael Young at third or first base. Seeing as Alex Rodriguez may end up suspended for the rest of the season and all the third base replacements have failed to impress, an upgrade is likely needed. Whether or not Young is actually an upgrade or not is up for discussion, but he isn't having a terrible season for the Phillies.
More from Pinstriped Bible:
- The Yankees-Rangers series: A season in microcosm
- Corey Black: A nice prospect, but certainly worth Alfonso Soriano
- Alfonso Soriano trade: Should the Yankees try Vernon Wells at first base now?
- Alfonso Soriano trade rumors: Cubs zeroing in on Yankees Corey Black
- Yankees GIFs of the Week: Stewart pumped, Nunez stumbles, and Gardner gets a gift