[新聞] Yanks demote Melky, cut Sexson

[Jkid (身心俱疲....OTZ)]

08/15/2008 6:45 PM ET
Yanks demote Melky, cut Sexson
Club recalls Gardner, Ransom and Britton from Triple-A
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com


NEW YORK -- Hoping to tweak their roster for a final push for the postseason,
the Yankees made significant alterations on Friday, demoting outfielder Melky
Cabrera and cutting ties with veteran Richie Sexson.
The move installs rookie Brett Gardner, promoted from Triple-A, as the
Yankees' primary starting center fielder during a crucial stretch in which
they will play 28 of their final 41 games against clubs with winning records.
New York also added utilityman Cody Ransom to provide versatility off the
bench in Sexson's place.

Cabrera took the move with some surprise, embracing teammates in the
clubhouse before packing his belongings. The 23-year-old was New York's
Opening Day center fielder, but manager Joe Girardi did not start Cabrera
four times over the team's recently completed 10-game road trip to Texas,
Anaheim and Minnesota.

"That's their decision, and I'm going to do whatever they say, go down there
and work hard and try to come back," Cabrera said through an interpreter. "I
started good, but my average went down, and I've just got to go to Triple-A."

Cabrera was batting .242 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs in 117 games. He
has regressed offensively from last season, a point that Girardi and general
manager Brian Cashman established before making the move.

"We just felt it was time for him to go work on some things," Girardi said.
"You can't forget how young Melky is, and sometimes it's difficult to work on
things here. We talked about some things offensively, we talked about some
things baserunning. We felt that Melky has grown defensively as a player, but
we just felt it was time now."

Cabrera had just three hits in his past 26 at-bats for New York, though he
said he "never" expected to be sent to the Minors at this point in the
season.

"He's a better player than this, and he knows it," Cashman said. "He's
struggled, and sometimes the best way to get yourself going is to take a step
back. He was working hard up here. The performance just didn't follow. In his
case, there was somebody pushing from within."

Gardner, who turns 25 later this month, had appeared in 17 games for the
Yankees earlier this season, batting .153 with no home runs, seven RBIs and
five stolen bases in 59 at-bats. He was batting .296 with three home runs, 32
RBIs and 37 stolen bases at Triple-A. Gardner said that his prior experience
might help him in his second tour of duty.

"I'm obviously very excited," Gardner said. "I've been feeling really good
down there and swinging the bat well. Hopefully I can continue some of that
success I had down there at this level."

Sexson represented a low-risk acquisition for the Yankees, who signed the
veteran to a contract on July 18 after he was cut loose by the Mariners.
Primarily assigned to play first base against left-handed pitching, spelling
Jason Giambi, Sexson didn't adjust with flying colors to a reserve role,
hitting .250 with one home run and six RBIs in 22 games.

"We were going to get more versatile for our club, and we felt it was
difficult what we were asking, in a sense, Richie to do," Girardi said.
"Richie had never really done that."

Cashman said that he still believed Sexson could be an everyday player
elsewhere in the league. If he signs elsewhere, another club would be
responsible to pay only the pro-rated Major League minimum, as the Yankees
had.

"Sporadic play, I don't think, is conducive to where he's at in this stage of
his career," Cashman said.

Girardi said that Gardner will be offered playing time while he is up with
the big league club, probably with outfield alignments similar to the one the
Yankees used on Friday against Kansas City. Gardner started in center field
while Johnny Damon served as the designated hitter, with Xavier Nady and
Bobby Abreu manning corner outfield spots.

While on the road trip, Girardi had said that he also believed Damon was
healthy enough to play center field on a regular basis as the Yankees try to
make up their deficit -- 9 1/2 games behind the first-place Rays entering
play Friday -- in the American League East.

It is likely that Cabrera will be recalled when rosters expand to 40 players
on Sept. 1, though the Yankees would not rule out bringing him back sooner if
necessary. The Yankees held on to Cabrera despite a number of trade proposals
over the offseason, most notably in discussions with the Twins for Johan
Santana. Cashman said that he did not regret that stance.

"Melky Cabrera, I believe personally, is without a doubt an everyday center
fielder in the big leagues," Cashman said. "But he has struggled here for an
extended period of time, which placed him in jeopardy to be sent down,
because someone else behind the scenes named Brett Gardner has pushed himself
into the conversation."

New York also made an additional roster move before Friday's game, placing
right-hander Dan Giese on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder
tendinitis and recalling right-hander Chris Britton from Triple-A. Darrell
Rasner will start on Tuesday in Giese's place, Girardi said.

Cashman said that the multiple moves were not made as a knee-jerk reaction to
the Yankees' trip, on which they were swept in Anaheim and played one of
their sloppiest games of the season on Wednesday at the Metrodome. He noted
that the Yankees' inconsistencies went beyond Cabrera, the No. 9 hitter, and
Sexson, who was brought in as a spare part.

"You can take Melky's name and change it with a lot of guys on this field
right now that are making a hell of a lot more money," Cashman said. "They're
better than what they've shown, too."

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 　　　　　　 　　　　　　▆▆ ▆   ▆ ▆▆▆。。。好小孩要勤做筆記( ._.)_ψ_

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推 killbaga:山大爺嗎?
推 beygwa:cut Sexson 的意思是??
推 NBALOVER:就是砍了的意思