Ellsbury scratched from rehab game; Cash’ not worried
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman wasn’t alarmed that Jacoby Ellsbury was scratched from the Tampa Yankees’ lineup Thursday night.
Ellsbury was the DH Monday night, skipped Tuesday due to general leg fatigue and played center field Wednesday for the Class-A club.
“He is going through a springtraining-game-like progression with all the sprints, and ... slowly getting his legs back. All good,’’ Cashman said. “We will see him soon after we finish him off properly.’’
That likely won’t be Friday, when the Yankees open a three-game holiday weekend series against the Rays at Yankee Stadium. Ellsbury has been out since suffering a sprained right knee May 19 in Washington.
When the Yankees signed Bri
an McCann to a five-year deal for $85 million, he was a seven-time All Star because of his bat.
Lately, thanks to extensive work with catching instructor
Gary Tuck, McCann is throwing out potential base stealers.
As of Thursday, McCann had thrown out 43 percent of would-be base stealers (12-for-28) which was good for second among AL catchers. The Tigers’ James McCann, no relation, was first with a 48 percent (13-for-27) mark.
“Gary Tuck has changed the way I throw,’’ McCann said. “He made me shorter with my feet.’’
Catchers such as Jorge Posada, Jason Varitek, Joe Girardi
and John Flaherty have long been impressed with Tuck.
Last Sunday in Houston, McCann cut down Jose Altuve and Domingo Santana attempting to swipe second with perfect throws. Tuesday he caught Mike
Trout trying to do the same. McCann’s best throw might have been delivered Wednesday, when he took a breaking ball away and fired a strike to second that didn’t get the Angels’ Erick Aybar at second but was perfect.
Helping McCann has been a group of pitchers who are quick to the plate. Nathan Eovaldi to the plate is 1.2 seconds, which is lower than the 1 . 35 aver-
age. Adam Warren and CC Sabathia also are quick.
Carlos Beltran was slated to undergo an MRI exam on the left rib cage area Thursday. Beltran left Tuesday’s game after he felt pain in the area while fouling off a ball. He didn’t play Wednesday but said he felt better.
According to a person close to the situation, Alex Rodri
guez and the Yankees continue to talk about donating to charity the $6 million Rodriguez was supposed to get for tying Wil
lie Mays when he hit his 660th homer back in April.
The Yankees claimed the bonus was tied to marketing possibilities that they believe vanished when Rodriguez was suspended for the 2014 season due to being involved with the Biogenesis mess.
“It’s been going on for weeks,’’ the source said of talks.
Rodriguez is fourth on the alltime home run list with 669, 45 short of Babe Ruth, who is in third place.