The New York Yankees have activated 26-year old righty reliever Joba Chamberlain off the D.L. Chamberlain pitched in 7 games (6 starts) on his rehab assignment in Rookie+AA+AAA-ball and he was 1-1 with a 0.96 ERA and a 0.54 WHIP. He has pitched in 193 games (43 starts) in his first five years with the Yankees and he is 20-13 with 4 saves, a 3.70 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. The Yankees hope that Chamberlain will add zip to the Yankees’ pen going forward.

The Yankees have acquired 29-year old righty swinging 3B/1B Casey McGehee from the Pittsburgh Pirates for 33-year old righty reliever Chad Qualls. McGehee played in 92 games for the Pirates this year and he was 61 of 265 (.230 avg, .674 OPS) with 27 runs scored, 8 homers, 35 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 529 games in his first five years in the majors and he is 468 of 1,800 (.260 avg, .735 OPS) with 202 runs scored, 60 homers, 277 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Chad Qualls pitched in 8 games (0 starts) for the Yankees this year and he was 1-0 with a 6.14 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP. This was a good deal for the Yankees as McGehee should be able to help them cover 1B and 3B if more injuries arise. For now, it appears that McGehee big job will be platooning with Eric Chavez at 3B.

25-year old righty reliever/starter David Phelps has been amazing since the Yankees have recalled him from AAA. Phelps has pitched in 4 games (1 start) so far in July and he is 1-0 with a 0.93 ERA and a 0.52 WHIP. He has only given up 2 hits and 3 walks in 9 2/3 innings so far this month while whiffing 17 batters! Those are some eye popping stats. Phelps has now pitched in 18 games (3 starts) for the Yankees overall this year and he is 2-3 with a 2.70 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. He has been an unsung hero for the Yankees and he could replace Freddy Garcia in the starting rotation if he starts to falter.

I’m not so sure that Eric Chavez’ back is going to hold up if he has an increased workload the rest of the season. With that in mind, the Yankees need to see what’s available on the trade market. They don’t need a big name like Aramis Ramirez or Chase Headley. I suggest that they look for a smaller name like Jeff Baker (Cubs), Greg Dobbs (Marlins) or Ty Wigginton (Phillies). They were rebuffed about Wigginton earlier this week, but the Phillies might change their mind if they have a bad weekend. Other than a little help at 3B, the Yankees are pretty much set for a division title run and more in 2012.

The New York Yankees have placed 36-year old righty swinging 3B Alex Rodriguez on the 15-day disabled list due to a non-displaced fracture of his left hand. He was hit by a Felix Hernandez fastball in last night’s game against the Mariners. He is likely going to miss the next 6-8 weeks and this is a major blow to the Yankees. Rodriguez has played in 94 games for the Yankees so far this year and he is 97 of 352 (.276 avg, .807 OPS) with 54 runs scored, 15 homers, 44 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. The Yankees will likely platoon 34-year old lefty swinging Eric Chavez and 29-year old righty swinging Jayson Nix at 3B unless they make a deal for another 3B. Chavez has played in 64 games for the Yankees so far this year and he is 42 of 156 (.269 avg, .768 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 8 homers and 20 RBIs. Jayson Nix has played in 37 games for the Yankees so far this year and he is 20 for 85 (.235 avg, .698 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 3 homers, 7 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. I think that Chavez and Nix would do a solid job for the Yankees at 3B, but I see them trying to make a deal for A-Rod’s replacement.

37-year old righty starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda has been rock solid for the Yankees so far this year. He has pitched in 20 games (all starts) for the Yankees so far this year and he is 10-7 with a 3.34 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He has given up 119 hits and 34 walks while whiffing 103 batters in his first 129 1/3 innings so far this year, which is impressive. Kuroda has been the Yankees’ best starting pitcher this year and they need him to finish the season strongly, which I think he will.

The Yankees have designated 34-year old lefty swinging outfielder DeWayne Wise for assignment. Wise played in 56 games for the Yankees this year and he was 16 of 63 (.252 avg, .778 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 3 homers, 8 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. He has now played in 501 games in his first 10 years in the majors and he is 196 of 882 (.222 avg, .639 OPS) with 123 runs scored, 25 homers, 90 RBIs and 42 stolen bases. The Yankees needed Wise’s roster spot for Ichiro Suzuki. Wise might not clear waivers as he played pretty well both offensively and defensively for the Yankees this year.

UPDATE: (7/27/2012) - DeWayne Wise has cleared waivers but he has rejected an outright assignment to AAA. The Yankees have until Wednesday to trade or release him (8/1/2012).

UPDATE II: (8/1/2012) - The Yankees have released DeWayne Wise. He’s shouldn’t be out of work too long.

The New York Yankees have acquired 38-year old lefty swinging RF Ichiro Suzuki from the Seattle Mariners for 25-year old righty reliever/starter D.J. Mitchell and 25-year old righty reliever Danny Farquhar. Ichiro played in 95 games for the Mariners this year and he was 105 of 402 (.261 avg, .642 OPS) with 49 runs scored, 4 homers, 28 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. He has now played in 1,844 games in his first 12 years in the majors and he is 2,533 of 7,858 (.322 avg, .784 OPS) with 1,176 runs scored, 99 homers, 633 RBIs and 438 stolen bases. Ichiro will be the starting RF for the Yankees with Nick Swisher moving to LF when he’s healthy enough to return to action.

D.J. Mitchell came into this season as the Yankees’ #16 prospect according to Baseball America. Mitchell pitched in 4 games (0 starts) earlier this year for the Yankees and he was 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA and a 2.14 WHIP. He also pitched in 15 games (14 starts) in AAA-ball this year for the Yankees and he was 6-4 with a 5.04 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Danny Farquhar pitched in 32 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball for the Yankees, A’s and Blue Jays this year in which he was 2-3 with 5 saves, a 3.33 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP.

This was a classic Yankees’ trade as they get a future Hall of Famer for two very suspect prospects.

The Yankees will likely be without 28-year old lefty swinging outfielder Brett Gardner for the rest of the season. He will have arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow next week. Gardner played in 9 games for the Yankees this year and he was 9 for 28 (.321 avg, .817 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 0 homers, 3 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He has now played in 468 games in his first five years with the Yankees and he is 369 of 1,390 (.265 avg, .723 OPS) with 255 runs scored, 15 homers, 125 RBIs and 137 stolen bases. Gardner is a solid player, but the Yankees have done o.k. without him so far this year.

The Yankees have released 38-year old righty reliever/starter Nelson Figueroa. Figueroa pitched in 17 games (9 starts) in AAA-ball for the Yankees this year and he was 7-2 with a 3.96 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. He has pitched in 145 games (65 starts) in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 20-35 with 1 save, a 4.55 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Figueroa will likely hook on with another team soon, but the Yankees won’t miss him.