The New York Yankees are making headlines this week with a whirlwind of roster updates, injury news, and dominant performances that have fans buzzing. Let's break it all down, starting with a sudden change in the pitching rotation.
Late last night, the Yankees announced that left-hander Ryan Weathers has been scratched from his scheduled start Thursday due to a nasty stomach virus. "I pitched, then went home and pretty much threw my guts out for several hours," Weathers revealed. "I thought I just had food poisoning, but woke up the next day and was running a 102-degree temp." Manager Aaron Boone confirmed that Weathers should be good to return to the rotation by Monday. In the meantime, Paul Blackburn will step in for a spot start against the Texas Rangers today.
On the injury front, slugger Giancarlo Stanton is now eligible to return from the 10-day injured list, but don't expect him back in the lineup just yet. Boone noted that Stanton's low-grade calf strain is still lingering. "He's doing OK, and he's hit some. It still feels minor, but not ready to push it yet," Boone said Tuesday. While soft-tissue issues have become all too familiar for Stanton, the good news is this setback sounds minor, and his return shouldn't be too far off.
In more encouraging news, left-hander Carlos Rodón is nearing his season debut, and all signs point to Sunday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers as the target. "I think he's felt ready to go now the last couple of times," Boone said. "But to get him up over 80 pitches this time out, we wanted to do, and give him a third game. We feel like he's ready to go." With the Yankees needing a starter for Sunday, Rodón appears poised to take the mound—assuming his arm feels good after his latest rehab outing.
Perhaps the most impressive storyline? The Yankees' pitching staff has been among the best in the league all season, while their offense has been absolutely dominant over the last three weeks, powering the team to a blistering 15-2 stretch. What's truly remarkable is that they've done all this while missing two of their top arms. With Rodón and Gerrit Cole both on the verge of returning, the rest of the league has every reason to be worried. The Bronx Bombers are firing on all cylinders, and reinforcements are on the way.