As CBSSports.com Insider Jon Heyman anticipated, Freddy Garcia is no longer a member of the Yankee rotation. The AP reports that Garcia, who has a 12.51 ERA after four starts, has been exiled to the bullpen. "I'm not surprised," Garcia said. "You play here in New York, they expect to pitch good. ... It's not like they wait for you to be good."
"Another part of my life I have to deal with," Garcia went on to say. "Whenever I have to pitch I'll pitch."
He'll likely be replaced in the rotation by rookie right-hander David Phelps, who has a 3.57 ERA this season in 17.2 relief innings. “There’s nothing that tells me he can’t be a major league starter,” manager Joe Girardi said of Phelps.
Phelps, or whoever, will of course be but a placeholder for Andy Pettitte, who's presently rounding into form in the minors. As the AP notes, the Yankees may need their fifth starter only one more time before Pettitte is ready to be activated.
It must be noted, however, that Garcia is hardly the only under-performer in the Yankee rotation. No Yank starter has an ERA better than Hiroki Kuroda's 4.38, and as a unit they rank near the bottom of the American League by whatever measure you wish to use. Garcia's exit -- and Pettitte's eventual return -- can only fix so much.
For more baseball news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnBaseball on Twitter, subscribe to the RSS feed and "like" us on Facebook.
