The Yankees are running out of pitching options to deploy against the Red Sox. That’s why the organization is gambling big on Chance Adams.
At this time last season, many Yankee fans were clamoring for Chance Adams to get his chance to pitch in the Bronx. A lot has changed in a year though. Adams’ star has dimmed considerably after an offseason injury and a pretty mediocre season in AAA. Nonetheless, he’s going to get a chance to raise his stock against the Red Sox this weekend.
Barring a late change, it’s Adams, not Justus Sheffield, who will be called up to pitch in Fenway on Saturday. It’s far from an ideal scenario for the Yankees. Sonny Gray’s ugly start in Baltimore forced Aaron Boone to burn Lance Lynn in relief. That was followed up by a very short start by CC Sabathia which required Luis Cessa to come in early to relieve him. In a perfect world, Lynn or Cessa would have been capable of starting on Saturday.
As it stands, the Yankees don’t have a quality option on the current roster. That means they have to dip into the minor leagues for a solution. Domingo German and Jonathan Loaisiga are both injured. Sheffield, who most regard as a superior prospect, made a start for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre yesterday. Asking him to start again on Saturday would be too quick a turnaround.
Unless there is a last-second shift in plans the #Yankees intend to have Chance Adams make his major league debut Saturday against the #Redsox.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) August 3, 2018
That leaves Adams as the last man standing. His overall line in AAA this season is pretty uninspiring. An ERA of 4.50 in the minors isn’t a great way to earn a call-up to the majors. However, Adams is coming off arguably his best start of the year. Last time out against Rochester he pitched 7 1/3 innings of two-hit ball. Perhaps more importantly, he managed to strike out eight batters in his 102-pitch outing. Clearly, that start made a big impression on the organization.
If Adams is really starting to get healthy he has a chance of making a quality start against Boston. When he’s on his game, he flashes electric stuff. The challenge is we haven’t seen much pitching of that quality from Adams this season. Believing that his last start is the rule, rather than the exception, is fraught with risk.
It’s the kind of outing that could make or break Adams’ career. If he pitches well against the powerful Red Sox lineup, it could catapult him into the rotation for years to come. If he gets blasted, it may be the last time Yankee fans see him. The stakes are really that high for the 23-year-old righty.
This might not be a fair situation for Adams, but he still needs to make the most of the opportunity. The Yankees are making a giant gamble on him this weekend. Time will tell whether or not he’s capable of making it pay off.