Jake Byrd Optioned to Triple-A After Tough Night

Jake Byrd’s rollercoaster experience with the Yankees took another dip on Monday evening when he was sent down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. This move followed his performance against the Angels, where he allowed a three-run homer to Mike Trout, despite the Yankees edging out an 11-10 win.

Since joining the team from Colorado last year, Bird has had his share of difficulties. But, surprisingly, he started this season with a solid streak, going four games without giving up a run.

Yet, during a game against Miami on April 5, things took a turn. He conceded three runs, with Trout hitting a significant homer in the sixth inning that tied the game and marked the first time this year a Yankees relief pitcher had given up a homer.

Manager Boone mentioned that the Yankees were “a little lacking” in the bullpen on Monday, indicating the need to move on from Brent Headrick and Ryan Yarbrough.

Boone reflected on Bird’s performance, saying, “It was a tough night for him, but I thought he made a lot of really good pitches. They really charged hard to get back in the game with some mistakes. He struggled to finish a few at-bats.”

Camilo Doval also served up a homer to Trout, but the Yankees still hope he can become a reliable setup man for David Bednar.

In other news, Anthony Volpe received the green light to start his rehab assignment on Tuesday. Boone revealed that Volpe is expected to play four games this week at Double-A Somerset, with the early games being akin to “spring training” in order to ramp him up since he had played only a few innings.

After this week, the team will reassess Volpe’s recovery from offseason shoulder surgery.

– Cade Winquest returned to the Cardinals after not playing a game prior to the draft. Boone decided to start Paul Goldschmidt against left-handed Yusei Kikuchi, utilizing Ben Rice, who’s working to improve his performance against southpaws but has struggled this season with a .522 OPS against them compared to a 1.431 against right-handed pitchers.

Boone also chose to stick with left fielder Randal Grichuk, who, despite a rough start to the season—going 0-for-12 with six strikeouts—has a history of being effective against left-handed pitchers. Boone commented on Grichuk’s performance: “Playing time is inconsistent… He hit the ball into the wall in center field. He’s a good hitter.”