New York Yankees get good news on Justus Sheffield
Everyone in the Yankees organization went on high alert when Justus Sheffield left his start due to shoulder tightness. Fortunately, it’s not a big issue for the talented lefty.
Justus Sheffield isn’t a part of the Yankees’ big league roster but that doesn’t mean he isn’t very important to the team’s future. That’s exactly why panic beset the entire organization when the Triple-A pitcher was forced to leave his start last Friday with shoulder issue.
Fortunately, Sheffield’s shoulder tightness seems to be a relatively minor issue. The team is only choosing to place him on the seven-day DL as a precaution. Sheffield would prefer not to miss any time at all, but discretion is clearly the right move for the Yankees here.
Sheffield started the year with Double-A Trenton but he simply dominated that level of competition. As such, the Yankees saw fit to promote him to their AAA club, Scranton/Wilkes Barre. If he continues to mow hitters down at that level, it will give Brian Cashman a really interesting decision to make.
Leaving a 22-year-old starting pitcher in the minors when they appear to be ready for the big leagues doesn’t make a lot of sense. On the other hand, the Yankees have a pretty solid starting rotation at the moment. Of course, Sonny Gray’s struggles could open a spot for Sheffield to force his way into the Yankees rotation.
It’s also possible Sheffield could be called up to send Domingo German back to the bullpen. He’s currently taking Jordan Montgomery’s spot in the rotation, but his stuff might profile better as a long reliever. Sending German back to the bullpen would give Aaron Boone even more power arms to choose from.
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Of course, all those discussions become moot if Sheffield doesn’t bounce back from this injury setback to pitch well at the AAA level. Fortunately, the Yankees aren’t in a position where they need to rush him back from injury or up to the Majors. The team will continue to bring their No. 3 prospect along slowly until he is ready to fill a genuine need in the Bronx.