It ain’t easy being Green.
Prior to Wednesday night’s series finale against the Angels, the Yankees announced that they’ve optioned the struggling Chad Green to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Additionally, the team also sent down Kyle Higashioka, and recalled Stephen Tarpley and activated Gary Sanchez from the Injured List.
https://twitter.com/YankeesPR/status/1121107493139222532?s=20
The big news here is obviously Green, who is a shell of what he was in 2017 and even last year. In ’17, Green allowed 14 runs in 69 innings, good for a 1.83 ERA. This season, he has allowed 14 runs in 7.2 innings (16.43 ERA). Green has turned into a bit of a one-trick pony, as his fastball is no longer the weapon it once was.
The demotion comes on the heels of Green serving up a grand slam to Justin Bour in the 8th inning of Tuesday night’s 7-5 win over the Angels.
Green throws his four-seam fastball a lot and it hasn’t been the same pitch this year. His velocity is down over a mile and he’s missing location and not missing bats. Batters are 10 for 23 (.435 avg) off the pitch. They hit .211 in 2018 and .121 off it in 2017.
— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) April 24, 2019
I talked to Green Sunday. Insisted he was healthy and that his problems were mechanical. I will say a few scouts in spring noticed down stuff and wondered if heavy multi-inning workload last few years would be a factor for him. #Yankees
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) April 24, 2019
#Yankees have had the various areas of the org doing a deep dive into what is wrong with Green. He was actually throwing slider better, getting more grounders, but was being devastated by his fastball getting clobbered in the air and homer frequency
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) April 24, 2019
The biggest strength of this team going in to 2019 was its bullpen, however, it has been the biggest weakness. The Yankees have a bullpen ERA of 4.25, good for 13th in the majors. Somewhat similar to Tommy Kahnle last season, the Yankees are hoping Green can work on things and reset himself in the minors.
Sanchez will be a welcome addition back to the lineup, although Higashioka and Romine have filled in admirably. Sanchez is expected to start on Wednesday night. Tarpley has appeared in four games this season, giving up four hits and two runs in three innings.
