Yankees Minor League Report: A Look at the September Call-Ups

These aren't necessarily the only six players the Yankees will be calling up, but they are the ones that are either 100% confirmed or most likely.  Melky Mesa's injury will prevent him from coming up, and it doesn't appear (for now) that any other outfielder will come up instead. (The Yankees do have Granderson/Gardner/Ichiro/Soriano/Wells, so it isn't mandatory another OF comes up.)   

JR Murphy, C - Of the names released thus far, Murphy is the most significant prospect.   The 22-year old catcher is hitting .269/.347/.426 in 108 games this season.   Don't think that the Yankees have given him significant DH time in the minors, as 105 of those games were behind the plate.   (In case you are wondering about his workload, he did catch 97 games last year).  When he was drafted, there was talk that he may not be able to stick behind the plate - but he has been able to do that.  He can probably also cover third (14 career games there) in a pinch.  I wouldn't expect to see much during the stretch, though he would most certainly offer an offensive upgrade over Chris Stewart - and when you are chasing down a playoff spot, isn't an upgrade worth playing?

David Adams, IF  - I don't have to say much about Adams - you have seen him before.  With Mark Reynolds on the roster (and playing well), Adams' role will likely be that of a strict backup and caddie for Robinson Cano. 

Brett Marshall, RHP - Marshall entered the season a step away from the majors after compiling a 13-7, 3.52 ERA season for Trenton in 2012.  Marshall struggled a bit this year (including a brief one-game appearance for the Yankees), going 7-10 with a 5.13 ERA for Scranton in 138.2 innings.  However, he has pitched better as of late (4.08 ERA in his last 97 innings).  I didn't just pick "97 innings" out of thin air - it represents the number of innings he has thrown in the last 90 days.  Marshall will likely be used as nothing more than another long-man in the pen.  Pretty much, if the Yankees need to use two longmen in a period of a few days, that wouldn't be a good thing.

Dellin Betances, RHP - There actually isn't official word on Betances, but I am just going to assume he will make his way up here.  You should also know his story by now - he throws very hard with a wicked breaking pitch, but did get torched in his one major league appearance this season.  That blip aside, Betances has been a dominant reliever in Scranton since the moment he was put in the bullpen and could be used in a middle-leverage situation down the stretch.  I would expect him to jump right over Joba on the depth chart.....

Preston Claiborne, RHP - But of course, Claiborne will also jump ahead of Joba and Betances and the depth chart.  Claiborne simply got mixed up in a numbers game and had no business being shipped back to the minors.  For now, he is in Tampa and ineligible to come up on Sunday (He was sent to the minors less than 10 days ago, so he has to wait until Tampa's season officially ends before he can come back.)

Cesar Cabral, LHP - This is an intriguing move.  Cabral was on the verge of making the roster in 2012 when a late spring injury shut him down for the season.   Because he was a Rule 5 pick heading into 2012, the clock started ticking as soon as he rehab began - the Yankees would either have to get him on the major league roster or expose him to waivers.  They exposed him, and he slipped through.  Cabral hasn't exactly pitched well this year (5.40 ERA in 30 games between Tampa/Trenton/Scranton with a 43/22 K/BB ratio in 36.2 innings) and hasn't exactly been awesome vs. left-handed hitters (.254/.366/.356), but he does offer Girardi another power arm out of the pen and may just be used in a big situation or two.  Girardi loves his toys - and Cabral as the type of arm that will tempt him.    Throws a fastball (low-to-mid 90s) with a change and a slider.