After being activated from the minor league disabled list a few days ago, reliever Andrew Bailey didn’t spend much time with the Yankees’ Single-A affiliate in Tampa.
Andrew Bailey may be a long shot, but he was promoted to Double-A Trenton today. “We will definitely pay attention,” Joe Girardi said.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) June 29, 2015
The 31-year-old, who miss an extended period of time this season due to a right shoulder strain, was promoted to Double-A Trenton on Sunday. In seven appearances this season with the Tampa Yankees, the Voorhees, New Jersey native posted a 2-0 record with a 3.86 ERA in seven innings pitched.
As Bryan Hoch of MLB.com pointed out, it may be a long shot that Bailey is able to help the big-league club anytime soon, but manager Joe Girardi won’t rule out the possibility, noting that the team will keep an eye on the right-hander’s progress.
Bailey was impressive in spring training to a point where he actually had a chance to make the 25-man roster to start the season, so the Yankees are hopeful that Bailey can contribute out of the bullpen at some point.
Throughout his five seasons in the big leagues, Bailey was named to two All-Star teams, and also received the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 2009 with the Oakland Athletics. He has an 11-12 record with a 2.64 ERA, notching 89 saves during that five-year span.
When it comes to Bailey, the Yankees are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. With injuries derailing his career a bit, Bailey is not the same pitcher he was a few years ago, but he has shown that he still has the ability to get big outs in key situations. If Bailey is able to work his way back up on to the big league roster, he could be a great addition to a bullpen that could definitely use another right-handed presence.
