As the New York Yankees eagerly anticipate the return of Carlos Rodon and endure Domingo German’s 10-game suspension, they were compelled to seek additional support from their Triple-A affiliate.
In a bid to fill a starting position for Friday night’s game against the San Diego Padres, the Yankees promoted Randy Vasquez from Scranton.
Vasquez, a 24-year-old pitcher, has thrown 42.2 innings in Triple-A this year, maintaining a 4.85 ERA, with 10.55 strikeouts per nine innings, and a ground ball rate of 46%. Although his stats might not indicate readiness for consistent MLB play, he delivered an impressive performance in his Yankees debut, notwithstanding the lack of offensive backing.
“I took a moment and looked around,” Vasquez said through a translator. “You can see how majestic Yankee Stadium is and so many thoughts came into mind.”
The Yankees saw potential from Randy Vasquez:
The Yankees succumbed to a 5-1 defeat against San Diego, but Vasquez pitched 4.2 innings, surrendering only four hits and two earned runs, while striking out six batters. He threw 84 pitches, 52 of which were strikes, resulting in a respectable 3.86 ERA.
The only runs Vasquez conceded came in the form of a home run to right field by Juan Soto, which covered 432 feet. Apart from that one tough pitch, Randy demonstrated an encouraging performance, hinting at his potential with further development and fine-tuning.
After the defeat, the Yankees sent Vasquez back to Triple-A. Given that they can’t use German’s roster spot due to his suspension, they will have to make do until his return.
Luis Severino is slated to take the mound on Saturday in an effort to pull the Yankees out of a three-game losing streak. In his season debut, Severino allowed only one earned run over 4.2 innings, striking out five batters along the way.
The team is gradually regaining health and key players, but offensive output has been lackluster in recent days, with a mere two runs scored across the last two games.
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