Tommy Kahnle has been steadily progressing in his rehabilitation, indicating a potential return to the Yankees’ bullpen in around 10 days, according to North Jersey’s Pete Caldera. Recovering from a shoulder injury, Kahnle expressed feeling “really good” after a scoreless inning pitched for Class A Tampa as part of his minor league rehab assignment.
Tommy Kahnle makes positive strides during his rehab
His upcoming appearance is scheduled for Saturday with Class A Tampa, after which he’ll transition to Class AA Somerset. Following Yankees manager Aaron Boone’s previous suggestion, Tommy Kahnle anticipates undergoing five rehab outings before being activated, roughly around May 20.
Before the series opener against the Rays, the Yankees activated right-hander Nick Burdi from the injured list due to hip inflammation, while optioning Toms River’s Ron Marinaccio to Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Observing the Yankees bullpen’s achievements from a distance, Kahnle, sporting a Penny Hardaway Orlando Magic basketball jersey, praised the bullpen’s stellar performance, leading all MLB bullpens with a 2.25 ERA. He particularly commended closer Clay Holmes for his ability to effectively close games.
Scheduled to pitch every other day throughout his rehabilitation, Kahnle reflected positively on his initial outing, citing good command and showcasing a variety of pitches, though acknowledging one misstep with a sinker.
Having experienced setbacks due to shoulder inflammation last season and subsequent soreness during spring training, Kahnle has encountered no issues since resuming bullpen sessions in early April.
During his rehab stint in Tampa, Kahnle has bonded with fellow relievers Lou Trivino and Scott Effross, both recovering from surgeries, potentially bolstering the bullpen midseason.
In addition to his own progress, Kahnle provided updates on other players’ rehabilitations, noting Jasson Dominguez’s imminent return from Tommy John surgery and Oswald Peraza’s transfer to Somerset, nearing readiness for a major league comeback.
The Yankees’ acquisition of right-hander Colby White from waivers further adds depth to their pitching roster, despite White’s previous struggles this season, his promising minor league track record suggests potential for improvement.
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If Tommy Kahnle is healthy & pitches as he did for the Yankees when healthy, he can be an important piece in the Yankees’ bullpen going forward. Of course, the IF healthy & IF he pitches as he did previously are the big questions.
Meanwhile, Brainless Brian Cashman & Co. showed their Utter Stupidity by sending Ron Marinaccio back down to AAA when he’s been nothing but stellar as a Yankee this year: in 12 2/3 IP, he has a 1.42 ERA and 0.79 WHIP with 10 strikeouts. If you’re not an avid fan, that’s Pretty F**king Good, as in near All-Star-level performance.
So, of course, Brainless Brian looked at those stellar results & thought, “This is Unacceptable. How can we Completely F**k Up This Kids Confidence & Morale? Hmm. I know, let’s punish him by pitching so well by Demoting Him to AAA. That should Really Piss Him Off & Leave Him Utterly Bewildered & Downcast, wondering what the hell he must do to stick on the MLB roster. Ah, yes, the perfect punishment for a Young Potential Star Reliever! You’ve done it again, Brain; you’re the Genius” in the insane asylum.
And why did Dumb*** Cashman send Marinaccio down to AAA? To save a spot on the MLB roster for Michael Tonkin, a 34-year-old with a career 4.33 ERA, who’s has 1 (ONE!) Save in 7 (SEVEN!) save opportunities in his entire crappy career. One of Seven?! That’s a 14% success rate! Just the sort of piece of dung that Cashman loves collecting.
Meanwhile, Marinaccio, who’s 6 Years Younger than Tonkin, has a lifetime MLB career ERA of 2.86, which even a Moron like Cashman should be able to tell is a hell of a lot better than 4.33. Marinaccio has 2 saves in 7 opportunities at the MLB Lebel (he’s 20 of 23 in the minors!). Marinaccio’s record of 2 of 7 in save opportunities at the MLB level is not great (yet!), but a 28.5% success rate is still TWICE that of the Much Older Tonkin.
So, as Yankee fans, you can see the logical behind why Brainless Brian would want to keep an Older & Inferior Reliever, rather than a Younger Reliever who’s been close to lights out this year at the MLB level, right? NO?! Well, then, don’t apply for a job with Cashman because he only wants MORONS working for him who think Logic is something to be Disdained in favor of Abject Stupidity.
The Estimable & Articulate Jack Curry (how in the world did he get a job with those qualifications?), explained in passing on the pre-game show, prior to game 1 against the Rays, why the Yankees sent Ron Marinaccio down to AAA, despite pitching exceptionally well.
They sent down a quality reliever in Marinaccio to “MAINTAIN DEPTH”!
Now, I understand Brainless’ thinking. His objective is NOT to keep the 26 Best Players on the MLB roster to win as many Major League Games as Possible, but to “maintain depth” for when Brainless inevitably trades for some piece of dung, so they have somebody good with whom to replace said piece of dung.
Geez, and I foolishly thought the GM’s job was to win as many games as possible, with the Best Players Available. Silly me.
But, maybe, just maybe, Brainless’ approach is the reason he’s NEVER assembled a World Championship on his own, without the baseball savvy of Truly Brilliant GMs like Bob Watson & Gene Michaels.