The Yankees have claimed 28-year old lefty starter/reliever David Huff off waivers from the Cleveland Indians.  Huff pitched in 3 games (0 starts) earlier this year for the Indians and he was 0-0 with a 15.00 ERA and a 2.67 WHIP.  He also pitched in 9 games (2 starts) in AAA-ball for the Indians this year in which he was 3-1 with a 4.07 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP.  Huff has now pitched in 58 games (52 starts) in his first five years in the majors and he is 18-26 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP.  It will be interesting to see if a change of scenery can spark Huff to make some improvements as a pitcher.

The Yankees have designated 25-year old lefty reliever/starter Francisco Rondon for assignment.  Rondon pitched in 12 games (6 starts) in AA-ball for the Yankees this year and he was 2-3 with a 7.46 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP.  Rondon pitched in 136 games (37 starts) in his 8 years in the minors for the Yankees and he was 21-15 with 3 saves, a 3.94 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP.  This isn’t much of a loss for the Yankees moving forward.

The Yankees have brought 26-year old righty starting pitcher Ivan Nova off the D.L.  But, at least for now, he will be working out of the bullpen as David Phelps is rolling in the rotation right now.  Nova has pitched in 4 games (all starts) for the Yankees so far this year and he is 1-1 with a 6.48 ERA and a 1.86 WHIP.  Working out of the pen will be new for Nova as he has started 66 games and relieved in only 4 of them so far in his career.  In his 66 starts, Nova is 30-13 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP.  Out of the pen, he is 0-2 with a 3.00 ERA and a 2.17 WHIP.  Nova will have to pitch well out of the pen to get another shot in the starting rotation.

32-year old lefty swinging outfielder Curtis Granderson had just returned to action recently after he rehabbed a broken forearm that he suffered when getting hit with a pitch in spring training.  But, last night at Tropicana Field, Granderson was hit by another pitch and this one fractured a knuckle in his pinkie.  His latest injury will cause him to miss at least the next four weeks.  Granderson has played in 8 games for the Yankees so far this year and he is 7 for 28 (.250 avg, .715 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 1 homer, 1 RBI and 1 stolen base.

26-year old righty starter/reliever David Phelps has been outstanding in whatever role the Yankees have needed him in so far in 2013.  When righty Ivan Nova went down to injury, the Yankees moved Phelps from the pen to the starting rotation and the results have been impressive so far.  He has started 4 games so far in May for the Yankees and he is 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 10 games (4 starts) overall this year for the Yankees and he is 2-2 with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP.  He has given up 38 hits and 18 walks while whiffing 46 batters in his first 42 1/3 innings so far this year, which is pretty darn impressive.  If he keeps pitching like he is right now, there is no way that Nova gets his rotation spot back.

The Yankees have signed 26-year old righty swinging 3B Josh Bell to a minor league deal.  Bell played in 15 games in AAA-ball earlier this year for the White Sox and he was 15 for 55 (.273 avg, .656 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 0 homers and 4 RBIs.  Bell has played in 100 games in his first three years in the majors and he is 53 of 272 (.195 avg, .488 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 4 homers and 22 RBIs.  Bell is a big time hacker as he has whiffed 92 times while only walking 10 times in his major league career so far.  He will start his time with the Yankees in AAA-ball.

The Yankees have acquired 27-year old lefty swinging SS/2B Reid Brignac from the Rockies for cash considerations.  Brignac played in 29 games for the Rockies earlier this year and he was 12 for 48 (.250 avg, .669 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 1 homer and 6 RBIs.  Brignac has now played in 285 games in his first six years in the majors and he is 164 of 719 (.228 avg, .591 OPS) with 73 runs scored, 11 homers, 73 RBIs and 8 stolen bases.  Brignac is a solid defensive infielder and he should give them a boost until some of the other guys on the team get healthy.

The New York Yankees have designated 30-year old righty swinging infielder Alberto Gonzalez for assignment.  Gonzalez played in 3 games for the Yankees and he was 3 for 9 (.333 avg, .667 OPS).  Gonzalez has now played in 14 games overall this year for the Cubs and Yankees and he is 8 for 32 (.250 avg, .661 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 homer and 2 RBIs.  Gonzalez was made expendable after the Yankees dealt for Reid Brignac.

UPDATE:  (5/22/2013) - Alberto Gonzalez has cleared waivers and the Yankees have outrighted him to AAA.

The New York Yankees have placed 40-year old lefty starting pitcher Andy Pettitte on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained trapezius muscle.  He has pitched in 8 games (all starts) for the Yankees so far this year and he is 4-3 with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.  The Yankees have called up 25-year old lefty starting pitcher Vidal Nuno to replace Pettitte in the rotation.  Nuno pitched in 2 games (1 start) earlier this year for the Yankees and he was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP.  Nuno also has pitched in 4 games (all starts) in AAA-ball so far this year and he is 2-0 with a 1.54 ERA and a 0.64 WHIP.  The Yankees hope that Pettitte will only have to miss a couple of weeks.

Righty swinging catcher Rick Cerone had one good year (1980) followed by six bad ones for the Yankees.  He played in 147 games in 1980 (his first year with the team) and he was 144 of 519 (.277 avg, .753 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 14 homers, 85 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  Cerone finished in 7th place in the A.L. MVP vote in 1980.  Cerone played in 587 games in his seven years with the Yankees and he was 459 of 1,842 (.249 avg, .648 OPS) with 188 runs scored, 31 homers, 203 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.  Cerone didn’t have a good career with the Yankees, but at least he had one good year (1980) for them.