Rasner, Hughes, Igawa, and Kennedy

[Chasing74]

So let's say Rasner continues to pitch well....

What do we do with Hughes and Kennedy? Will one of them then become a part of our bullpen? If so, which one? And what about Igawa.... should we just completely give up on him?

Share your thoughts.

[Tinyballer]

You know what if Rasner can continue to pitch well that I feel is the ideal scenario. If Hughes and/or Kennedy can comeback and pitch well thats even better. If they all pitch well we could have a six man rotation. This allows our old pitchers to fully recuperate like Petite and Mussina and also could help Wang in not running into that wall.

[Evangelion]

What do we do with Hughes and Kennedy? Will one of them then become a part of our bullpen? If so, which one? And what about Igawa.... should we just completely give up on him?

One of them remains in the minor league and continues to develop and work on the problems he was having in the majors. The other will take the final rotation spot. I don't see Hughes or Kennedy being converted to bullpen pitchers just because there's currently not a spot for them in the rotation. It's not the bullpen in dire need of help at the moment as people are lead to believe. Even with Bruney likely down for the season, the bullpen is not a concern for the team. The bullpen needed help last season and Chamberlain was converted to a reliever. This year, the rotation needs another pitcher, either Kennedy or Hughes, the one who doesn't take that spot will remain in Triple A. Not like it's a sign of giving up on a player. Hughes is 22, I believe, and you'll find plenty of players who are highly talented prospect still in minor leagues that are older than him.

[Alibi Ike]

Well, this morning on ESPN radio, I heard that Kennedy may be back up as soon as this Friday. That leads me to believe that the Yankees watched Igawa this past Friday and saw zero difference from the Igawa of last season.

Say that Kennedy comes back up and pitches well--and that Rasner continues to be reliable--we still don't have to worry about what to do with Hughes. Even if Kennedy, Rasner, and/or the "new" Mussina are all pitching well in July or August, you can't guarantee that you will have all five starters around and healthy when Hughes is ready to come back.

Attrition usually helps solve, often unfortunately, the dilemma of what to do with a six man staff.

[KCGHOST]

Rasner is 27 but the Yankees have seen fit to only allow him 64 IP's at the big league level. He has been a league average or slightly better in his limited opportunities. Why not let him stay in the rotation all year and let the person needing the seasoning stay in Columbus??

I don't know why Hughes and Kennedy have been such a disaster this year, but it maybe nothing more than than trying to cope with unrealistic expectations. This may be a year where the Yanks have to make a decision about the long-time future of the club rather than what's good for now.

[yankerwanker]

How many pitchers does the Yankees bullpen carry?

[YankeeFanUK]

i think theres seven in the pen

[DoubleX]

How many pitchers does the Yankees bullpen carry?

Right now there is 8, 9 if you count Igawa (who may see some action of the pen until Kennedy is recalled - I'm reading that Kennedy may only pitch an inning or two at AAA today and start Thursday, with Rasner moving back a day to start against the Mets on Friday).

The current pitchers in the pen are:

Kei Igawa
Chris Britton
Edwar Ramirez
Jose Veras
LaTroy Hawkins
Ross Ohlendorf
Kyle Farnsworth
Joba Chamberlain
Mariano Rivera

[YankeeFanUK]

8 ( 9 maybe ) not 7..thanks double x

[mikeymussina35]

I like the way Rasner has been pitching. If Kennedy gets called up soon and performs well I think the spot will go to him. Hughes. I have no idea if he will perform when off the DL.

[Chasing74]

Kennedy's back so let's see if he can put it together this time around..... the poor mans version of Mike Mussina. lol