Brian Cashman admits Yankees will likely call up Justus Sheffield in 2018
Brian Cashman is ready to give Yankees fans the call up they most want to see, as Justus Sheffield is “likely” to pitch in the Bronx this season.
Every time a regular member of the Yankees rotation is forced to miss a start, the Justus Sheffield watch commences for fans. Admirers of the club’s top prospect haven’t gotten what they wanted to date, but according to Brian Cashman, the talented southpaw should make his debut sometime this season.
That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to enter the starting rotation. The Yankees are also leaving the option of slotting him into the bullpen on the table. Adding another left-hander to pitch alongside Zach Britton and Aroldis Chapman could be crucial for Aaron Boone once October arrives.
It’s unclear how long the organization can afford to leave Sheffield in AAA. Luis Cessa filled CC Sabathia’s spot in the rotation this time around, and he failed to produce anything close to a quality start. He couldn’t get out of the fourth inning against Tampa Bay.
Fortunately, Sabathia only thinks he’s going to miss one start. That might be a touch optimistic for the veteran lefty, but his knee issue shouldn’t keep him out very long. The Yankees might need to squeeze one more start out of someone to fill Sabathia’s next turn in the rotation, but it would be a major surprise if Sheffield is called up to fill that role.
Cashman on Sheffield: "You’ll see him pitching in here in New York whether it’s as a rotation guy or out of the bullpen at some point I would expect in 2018." Comment from spot on @mikeson.
— Brendan Kuty 🧟♂️ (@BrendanKutyNJ) August 15, 2018
Instead, look for the team’s top prospect to arrive sometime in September. That is, of course, depending on his ability to keep up his level of performance in the minors. Sheffield had a rough outing for Scranton today, but has largely been lights out over his last 10 starts for the club.
To date, the Yankees have chosen to keep Sheffield honing his craft in the minors to work on his command. He’s been good at getting guys out in AAA, but it’s taking him too many pitches to get into the middle innings. Ideally, he can become a more efficient pitcher before he arrives in the majors.
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The most likely outcome for Sheffield this season is that the Yankees will utilize him as a September call-up. Adding some more depth to the pitching staff will help Boone give all of his high impact arms the rest they need to be ready for the postseason. It’s probably a year before Yankees fans will see Sheffield pitch a meaningful role for the team, but they should get a good look at his potential late in 2018.