Game 120: Blue Jays (Gausman) @ Yankees (Taillon) Apple TV

Mitch White? Better known as Cy Young. Or at least he'll look like it tomorrow.

Manager Aaron Boone announced Giancarlo Stanton will play two rehab games for Double-A Somerset this weekend, both as the designated hitter.

“We’ll eventually get to that point [of getting him in the outfield],” Boone said, via ESPN’s Joon Lee. “But first things first, want to get him in the DH spot, just get him back in, and then we’ll… kind of like we did last year, where we built on the run—the outfield reps, we’ll hopefully make that a part at some point, but not immediately.”

Boone added that Stanton will face starting pitcher Luis Severino in live batting practice on Tuesday.

Without Stanton, the Yankees have a team OPS of .690, including a .388 slugging percentage, both of which are in the bottom half of the league over that span.

That looks like a football season in NYC.  

It's tech 41-1 since they are 73-47 and the 90 Yankees were 114-48 even 100 wins isn't guaranteed anymore as 100 wins would take 27-15. I guess 95 wins is more realistic 22-20. Which the Jays would have to go 31-13 to match with the way they are playing I think the Yankees are still ok, but we will see.

All this fuss about the game being on Apple TV, but after the first pitch and Cabrera's great catch, what did I miss?  There's very little entertainment value right now.

It was "fire Boone" the night before. I don't like Boone as a manager, but Cash has certainly handcuffed him with a poorly put together team. Can't wait to see Hicks playing CF again after Florial goes 0-3 another night.

I agree.  Hal/Cashman/Boone are fortunate the Rays have been as healthy as that "Gone With the Wind" scene of Civil War wounded.   When Boone made that stupid statement about bank deposits and withdrawals, I cringed because to me it tacitly gave the team permission to tank in the future.  The outlook should have focused on continuing to play crisp, fundamentally sound baseball and to try to eclipse some of the greatest seasons in MLB history.  Now, we are back to running ourselves into outs on the bases. 

Hal has retooled the philosophy of his father, who espoused anything less than winning the World Series as failure; Cashman had rejected the philosophy of building a team strong up the middle and fitting strengths to take advantage of the dimensions of Yankee Stadium; Boone has never grasped the idea of actually putting the best team on the field at one time as a rule during the regular season.  

The Yankees always should have a plethora of left-handed batters and left-handed pitchers playing half their games at Yankee Stadium, taking advantage of the right-field porch offensively and the once deep cavern (move that fence back to where it was in the 1970s) of left centerfield defensively.

I remember Stick Michael's philosophy of procuring talent;  1. first they have to be able to play, 2. they have to be durable, and 3. their minds tuned to the spirit of the game.  Think about how fundamentally sound Paul O'Neill was, stealing 20 bases in his last season of MLB and the creativity of his slides into second and home plate to avoid tags.  These were athletes with multiple dimensions to their play.  Bernie Williams vs. Aaron Hicks (see number 1 and 2); Willie Randolph vs. Gleyber Torres (see number one and three); Graig Nettles vs. ARod (see number 3); Stanton vs. Reggie (see number 2); Lou Pinella vs. Clint Frazier (see number 1, 2, and 3).

Have I cherry-picked?  Of course.  But, does anyone doubt that Willie Randolph knew HOW to play the game?  What if Gleyber had the same understanding?  If Arod had the mentality of Derek Jeter?  If Boone worried more about performance of late than a pre-determined rest calendar?  Who in their right mind would trade a home-grown, left-handed starter that has tooled in consistency and was beloved in the clubhouse?  

It's been since 2009, the last of Stick Michael's philosophical treatise:  Pettitte, Rivera, Posada, Jeter (who fans forget led the team in WAR).  I'd say Cashman has had enough opportunities to build a championship team.