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TAMPA, Florida – At first Phillip Diehl was incredulous.
When New York Yankees coach Aaron Boone called the 24-year-old southpaw in his office on Saturday afternoon and said, "We're negotiating," Diehl thought his sophomore skipper was playing a joke. sickly with him. .
After all, Diehl had the impression of deserving him. Earlier in the day, when the team hairdresser had set up for the pre-match haircuts, the young pitcher had taken the place of a more accomplished left handed: CC Sabathia, an 18 year veteran.
"I had taken CC's place on the hairdresser's chair," said Diehl, smiling.
Now, the spot that Diehl was hoping to win at the Yankee Stadium clubhouse this season will be occupied by another player from another organization.
Just after the Yankees lost 7-3 to the Toronto Blue Jays in their spring training home final, Diehl was traded to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for midfielder Mike Tauchman, a league player. third year major who scored 30 Triple-A circuits in 2017 sharing time on the farm.
The addition of Tauchman will help the Yankees meet their main need at this stage of spring training: their depth of field.
"We are excited to have a guy who is talented and has several positions in the field," Boone said. "A guy who has options, so let's discuss and see which way we want to go."
In his first appearance since a heart attack in December, Yankees southpaw CC Sabathia gave a point and two hits on Thursday.
Launcher Gio Gonzalez, who signed a contract with the Yankees, said his signature was "a thing to use as fuel" as he had not received any other serious offers.
Yankees player Aaron Hicks, who has not played since March 1 because of stiffness in the back, said he "was doing well" after a second shot of cortisone and that he was "out of control". he hoped to resume his baseball activities soon.
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Tauchman, who signed .196 with 8 RBIs, 13 strikeouts and nine goals for Colorado, could be up for a spot in the Yankees Opening Day lineup, Boone said. If that happened, Tauchman would probably start the season on the New York bench, behind the starting lineup of Brett Gardner (center), Giancarlo Stanton (left) and Aaron Judge (right).
The depth of the Yankees' outside field became a concern on March 1, when center fieldman Aaron Hicks was sidelined by a back injury that the team originally thought did not happen. Would not have prevented him from staying outside for a very long time.
He has not played since.
Hicks told ESPN Saturday that he would begin the regular season in Tampa, continuing his recovery. He still did not participate in any baseball activity after receiving a second cortisone injection last Sunday.
Tyler Wade is another utility player who has appeared in both the infield and outfield this spring. Wade turned heads at Yankees camp all spring, coming into play Saturday with .318 overtime and .652 OPS.
In the case of Diehl, the Yankees are losing a young key pickup that was thought a lot.
"I love the way this kid participates in the competition and he has incredibly well pitched the ball," Boone said. "Obviously, people are taking note of it.We have a good player for him.That says a lot about the camp that he had."
Diehl played nine games this spring in 10 innings. He allowed 11 hits and 17 batted. Choosing 27 rounds in the 2016 draft, Diehl had made a good impression at the High-A and Double-A levels last season by telling him that he had been instructed to launch a simulation match in the Yankee Stadium in front of Judge when the slugger would come back a broken wrist last fall.
"Many emotions were going through my mind … I had the pleasure of being a Yankee to the fullest," said Diehl a few moments after being traded. "I have been treated with the utmost respect.They have made sure that we are comfortable at all times.I have made incredible friendships here. I will miss them.
"But it's a business at the end of the day, and I have another opportunity to potentially play in the big leagues with the Rockies, and I'm looking forward to it."
In addition to trading for Tauchman, the Yankees have given way to their 40-player roster by placing a pitcher. Jordan Montgomery (Tommy John operation) on their 60-day wounded list. Boone also announced that the club kept the Domingo German and Luis Cessa pitchers early in the season, while opting for right-back Jonathan Loaisiga at Triple-A.
With Loaisiga down, Sabathia will be on the Yankees' program for opening day. That means they're expecting him to start the season with the suspension of his five-match suspension for hitting receiver Rays Jesus Sucre with a retaliatory pitch last September. Due to the suspension, the Yankees will play against five players in the first five games.
Once the Sabathia suspension ends, the Yankees plan to add Sabathia to the 10-day wounded list at the end of her recovery after knee and heart surgery during the off-season. When Sabathia ends up on the injured list following the suspension, Loaisiga will join the team, Boone said.
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