ARLINGTON – Starting today, the Yankees will get a better idea what they need to do about the fifth spot in their rotation.
That’s because Jose Contreras gets the ball against the Rangers at Ameriquest Field against the Rangers after two outings for Columbus (Triple-A) that the Yankees hope cleared the troubled right-hander’s head.
However, GM Brian Cashman said this week that how Contreras performs will dictate what the Yankees do about the No. 5 spot. If Contreras can string together quality starts, Cashman won’t look for help. However, if Contreras gets spanked the way he was before being sent to the minors on May 5, Cashman will be very busy searching for an arm.
“I expect him to take the ball and be aggressive,” Joe Torre said of Contreras, who was in Texas last night but not eligible to be at Ameriquest because he wasn’t on the 25-man roster. “That’s the feelings we got from the reports we got . . . From the time he was away until now he is ready to go. Hopefully that will be the case.”
The Yankees are likely to option reliever Bret Prinz to Columbus to make room for Contreras. Tanyon Sturtze is also an option but the Yankees would likely lose him before they had a chance to see him pitch since he hasn’t worked since being acquired last weekend.
Contreras hasn’t been gone long enough – he made two starts for the Clippers – to completely forget the 1-2 record and 9.47 ERA he packed when he left for Columbus. His mechanics were a mess and his head cluttered with too many thoughts.
While Torre has his fingers crossed, he admitted he doesn’t know what Contreras will be like.
“We will see what we see. I am as anxious as you guys,” Torre said. “The beginning of the game is very important, that he gets going in the right direction.”
Even if Contreras gets shelled, Torre said he wouldn’t pull Contreras from the rotation.
“He is our starter,” Torre said. “It’s not fair to him, to send him out to de-pressurize him and pull him after a bad outing. He will get the ball every five or six days.”