In fairly interesting news, left-handed wunderkind Manny Banuelos has been tabbed to make tonight's game against the Red Sox. He turned 20 yesterday, and has blown the doors of the Yankees and scouts alike with his performance in the Grapefruit League.

His numbers so far look like this: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, BB, HBP, 8 SO

That's pretty darn good for anyone, 20 years old or not. The more impressive part, to me, is the weapons he's using to do it. The fastball, topping in the mid-90s, comes out of his hand as easy as can be, and the hook he's sporting has been as effective as ever. His change-up has also been pretty nasty.

He's going to start the year where he ended 2010 - in Trenton, opposite the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the only team he recorded a win against last year. If he keeps impressing people, however, I doubt he'll be with the Thunder very long.

Kontos returned: George Kontos, one of the two Yankees farmhands selected in this year's Rule 5 draft, has been returned by the San Diego Padres. The man who led all Bombers minor leaguers in strikeouts in 2008 allowed four runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings with the Padres before being returned.

He's probably slotted for the Scranton bullpen.

This morning, Major League Baseball held its annual Rule Five Draft. In the major league phase, a club can select any eligible player from the rosters of the other 29 clubs. The club pays a fee for this selection, and must keep the player on its 40-man roster all season, or return him to his original team.

The Yankees saw two players taken in the major league portion, right-handed pitchers George Kontos (San Diego) and Lance Pendleton (Houston), both of whom spent time with the Thunder last year.

Here are quick rundowns on each player:

Kontos: A 25-year-old Northwestern grad and the organization's strikeout leader in 2008, missed most of last year after recovering from Tommy John surgery. When he returned he was gone from the starter's role, converted into a hard-throwing late-inning guy.

Kontos experienced some serious peaks and valleys both during the regular season and in the Arizona Fall League, where he accrued a 12.08 ERA in 10 appearances this autumn.

If he can prove that his stuff is fully back to where it was in 2008, then he has a small chance to stick with San Diego, where building a team on the cheap is paramount.

Pendleton: Most known in Trenton for being the guy whose pitch broke Jesus Montero's finger in 2009, Pendleton started the season in the bullpen -- but didn't stay there for long. Once Christian Garcia re-injured his elbow on Opening Day, Pendleton took his spot.

The staff's ace after David Phelps departed for Scranton, Pendleton was 12-4 between Double-A and Triple-A, with 124 hits in 154 2/3 innings, with 133 strikeouts and a .218 average against.

Arizona Fall League

Austin Romine: 1-for-4, Passed Ball
Brandon Laird: 1-for-4, R, reached on error
Jose Pirela: 1-for-4, R, SB
George Kontos: 1 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO

Venezuelan League

Marcos Vechionacci: 0-for-1, BB
Jose Gil: 4-for-6, 2 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI

Mexican League

Walter Ibarra: 2-for-5, 2B, R

Yes, yes, the Yankees have advanced to the American League Championship Series. That's fine. Over here at Minor Matters, however, we care naught for things that concern the big club.

That means today, even with the Bombers off until Friday, big things are going on. The Arizona Fall League begins at 12:35 p.m., when the Phoenix Desert Dogs (which houses the Yankees players) meet the Mesa Solar Sox.

As I mentioned earlier on the blog, the Yankees on the Desert Dogs roster are:

C - Austin Romine
2B - Jose Pirela
OF - Brandon Laird
P - George Kontos
P - Craig Heyer
P - Ryan Pope
P - Manny Banuelos

In today's matchup, Romine, the Thunder's catcher, will face his brother Andrew, an infielder in the Angels system. Without looking it up, I am fairly certain this is the first time the two have met in a professional setting.

Also featured on the Mesa roster are:

- Justin Wilson, the Altoona lefty who sent the Thunder from the Eastern League playoffs.

- Brett Jackson, who, along with Laird was the other minor leaguer to complete a cycle with a walk-off home run. Carlos Gonzalez accomplished the feat in the MLB.

- Chris Carpenter, a Cubs farmhand who was drafted by the Yankees in 2007 (18th round).

- Matt Rizzotti, a slugging Phillies first baseman who hit an astonishing .343/.430/.985 with 17 home runs and 76 RBIs split among three levels.

- Brad Holt, Mesa's opening starter and a Mets prospect who struggled mightily with control (79 walks in 95 innings) and saw his stock fall dramatically.

By MIKE ASHMORE
For The Trentonian

TRENTON — It’s time to switch things up in Trenton.

The Trentonian has learned that professional baseball’s only switch-pitcher, Pat Venditte, has been promoted to the Thunder. The move was confirmed with Mark Newman, the Yankees Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations.

Venditte and another reliever — most likely righty Jonathan Ortiz — are expected to be at Waterfront Park today to replace fellow relievers George Kontos and John Van Benschoten, who were summoned to Triple-A Scranton.

The 25-year-old Venditte has garnered national attention for his unique ability to throw from both his left and right sides, and despite not being considered a prospect in most circles, he’s posted a sporty 4-1 record with a 1.63 ERA and six saves in 40 appearances with High-A Tampa.

Highlights of Venditte’s 2008 professional debut in Brooklyn, while he was a member of the Staten Island Yankees, appeared on Sportscenter and other nationally televised programs. The game was delayed for seven minutes when the Cyclones Ralph Henriquez kept switching sides in the batters box depending on which arm Venditte was going to be throwing with.

This incident led to the Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation to create a new rule, usually referred to as “The Pat Vendite Rule.” It reads: The pitcher must visually indicate to the umpire, batter and runner(s) which way he will begin pitching to the batter. Engaging the rubber with the glove on a particular hand is considered a definitive commitment to which arm he will throw with. The batter will then choose which side of the plate he will bat from.

Venditte and possibly Ortiz are being brought up to shore up a bullpen that been in flux for most of the year. Losing Kontos and Van Benschoten certainly won’t help matters. Kontos, in a return from Tommy John surgery, posted an 0-2 record with a 3.38 ERA in 17 appearances this season.

The Northwestern alum starred for the Thunder in 2008 and early on in 2009 as a starter, but was converted to a reliever after injuring his elbow while pitching with Scranton last year.

BOWIE, Md. – On the one hand, the Thunder put together 16 hits and seven runs, more than they’d tallied in latter category than in the previous two games combined. They even managed to accomplish this without Brandon Laird, their dynamic cleanup hitter, in the lineup.

On the other hand, Wilkin De La Rosa and George Kontos weren’t able to hold the fort, and Trenton was toppled 9-7 by the Bowie Baysox last night at Prince George’s Stadium.

With Bowie ahead 5-3 in the fifth, Justin Christian, freshly back with Trenton thanks to the Yankees signing of Chad Tracy, connected on a two-run triple into the right-field corner that brought home Edwar Gonzalez and Justin Snyder with the tying tallies.

With the score evened, De La Rosa was off the hook for the loss. The left-hander, who was recently re-inserted into the starting rotation on a permanent basis, continued his string of poor performance.

Yesterday, De La Rosa let in five earned runs on eight hits and two walks over just three innings. Over his last 11 outings, covering 35 2/3 innings, he’s permitted 41 hits and issued 23 free passes.

The stats are particularly alarming when one considers that De La Rosa is on the 40-man roster and was absolutely lights-out to start the year.

Through his first five appearances – spanning 9 1/3 innings – opponents scored just once off of him. Then came a string of games in late April where he got progressively worse, letting in a run, then two, and finally three on April 28.

Four times since then, De La Rosa has allowed more than four runs in an outing. The low point came on May 27, when the SeaWolves reached him for eight earned runs on 10 hits – including two home runs – in just 2 2/3 innings.

After Wilkins Arias wiggled out of a jam in the fourth, Kontos entered in the fifth and didn’t exactly provide relief.

The Northwestern-educated right-hander got two quick outs before Brandon Waring rocketed a ground-rule double to right-center. The next man, Caleb Joseph, dumped a single into no man’s land in between short and left field to bring home Waring and give Bowie the lead once again.

The Baysox got to Kontos for three more over the six and seventh before Kevin Whelan restored order in the eighth, after the Thunder had blown their last real scoring chance.

With runners at first and second with one out, Jim Hoey – a former Oriole and Rider alumnus working his way back after a series of arm injuries – battled Christian for 10 pitches before getting to wave at an offspeed offering on the outside half. He then got Luis to stare at strike three to end the inning.

NOTES: Christian and Kontos switched uniform numbers, with the outfielder taking 17 from Kontos, who received number 38.

I wrote a feature yesterday about George Kontos' return to the Thunder after undergoing Tommy John surgery and the mental anguish that come with that kind of major procedure. I didn't get to use all the quotes, however, so I figure I may as well give some of them to you guys.

On the young arms he saw in Tampa:

"It's unbelievable. You've got guys down there who are pitching at 92-93, touching 95-96. When I was there, Adam Warren was doing great, Graham Stoneburner was doing great. Shaeffer Hall, who's the soft-tossing lefty, is pitching awesome. I rehabbed quite a bit through this whole process with Dellin (Betances), and Dellin's just, he's a different animal. He came back and his delivery's cleaned up. He looks good. He looks real good. He's touching 98 almost every start, and the kid's going to be unstoppable. ... I think if he keeps pitching the way he's pitching they're going to have to move him (to Trenton). They can't keep leaving him there with a 0.50 ERA."

On the way his arm felt before he was diagnosed with the ligament tear:

"I had no pain. It was a very weird case. My ligament was completely torn. I felt it completely torn while I was pitching, but it wasn't like a pop where the ball goes somewhere and you hear a loud pop. I was starting in Gwinnett, and I threw a pitch in the third inning, and it felt like a string just tore. (It was like) part of a rope and it's starting to break and it just starts fraying. It felt part of the rope had just frayed. It's a little release.

I didn't think anything of it. Nothing hurt. Kept pitching. The same thing happened again in the fifth inning, and when it happened in the fifth inning, it was almost like my arm wouldn't stop. I'd throw a ball, and it just felt like my hand and my wrist would just keep going. There was nothing there to stop it. I didn't hurt, but the ball went from coming out 90-91 to 85-86."

"(After a few weeks of delays because of rain) When it finally came to be my start again, I was pitching in Syracuse, I pitched three innings and gave up few runs, and (pitching coach) Scotty (Aldred) He was like, 'What's going on?' (I said) There's something wrong, I can keep pitching, but something's not right. I was throwing 84-87, and it really only affected me on a fastball. I was still able to throw breaking balls, change-ups, but when I really reared back for a fastball, it just wasn't there."

A year ago, everything was going right for George Kontos. The right-hander was one step away from the big leagues, and was pitching pretty darn well. Then, just like that, something snapped.

Dr. Christopher Ahmad had just told him that the ligaments in his right elbow were torn completely, and that he would need the Tommy John procedure.

“It was, initially, a complete shock. The first thoughts that go through someone’s head who can’t do what they’ve been doing for the past 20 years of their life, it’s kind of a sense of panic, and it felt like the walls were closing in on me.”

Still, they say that there is strength in numbers, especially when it comes to baseball and elbow surgery.

There are a half a dozen pitchers on the current Trenton roster who’ve had their elbows reconstructed, and there were a few more in Scranton when Kontos got the bad news.

“It took a couple of days to sink in, and I was lucky enough to have guys like Mark Melancon and Sergio Mitre in the clubhouse in Scranton with me to go and talk to get a feel of what was to come,” Kontos said. “It sank in and I realized that it really wasn’t the end of the world.”

Between the diagnosis and that realization – and frankly, all throughout a player’s career – there was the fear of being suddenly thrust into a new reality that lacks both baseball and certainty.

Of course, Kontos isn’t alone in that mind set. Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett has been through the surgery as well, and remembers his first feelings as if it were yesterday.

“You can’t describe it, man, your world’s crushed,” Burnett explained. “You can’t imagine the feeling.”

Kontos went to see Dr. David Altchek -- one of the world’s elite orthopedic surgeons and the doctor who earlier this year performed former Thunder starter Christian Garcia’s second Tommy John surgery – and was instantly reassured that he would almost certainly come back just as strong as ever.

“It was easing,” Kontos said. “He said ‘You know what? This happens all the time. It’s an easy fix. We’ll do the procedure, and with rehab you’ll be back better than ever.’ He just really eased my mind about it.”

It wasn’t always that easy, though. John Smoltz, a lynchpin of the dominant Atlanta rotations of the mid- to late-90s, remembers a time when recovery from the procedure wasn’t a sure bet.

“It’s a little better today than it was a long time ago,” Smoltz said before working a game with TBS at Yankee Stadium earlier this season. “Your success rate is a lot greater, and if you follow the protocol and you see the history, there are a lot of guys who have been successful, then you’re going to feel a lot better when you get the news.”

When Smoltz had his surgery done, in 1991, he was told the success rate was close to 80 percent. By comparison, Altchek told Kontos that the current number was closer to 97 percent. Those types of numbers tend to reassure a player.

Sure enough, Kontos made his debut last month, ahead of schedule, and is just now working his way back into the swing of things. The only difference is, when Kontos left it was as a starter. Now, with no real spots open in Trenton or Scranton, he will be used out of the bullpen for the foreseeable future.

And that’s just fine with him.

“As far as I’m concerned, with the spots (in the rotation) and the no spots, I’m glad to be here, and I’m just going to go about my business and try to pitch well and try and get back to where I was last year.”

-- George Kontos was promoted earlier today, and has joined the club in Akron. It's a great step for a guy who two seasons ago led the organization in strikeouts. He's working his way back from Tommy John surgery, and I can't imagine he'll stay in Trenton too long before getting back to Triple-A, where he was before the injury.

Kontos' addition gives the Thunder three long relievers -- Josh Schmidt and Cory Arbiso are the others, not to mention Ryan Pope, who can probably work multiple innings as well. That said, I wouldn't be surprised to see Kontos wind up in the rotation before too long.

Of course, when you add someone to the roster, you usually have to subtract someone. In this case, that someone is Tim Norton, who was placed on the 7-Day Disabled List with an undisclosed injury. This couldn't come at a worse time for the Thunder, who already have Grant Duff, their primary closer, on the shelf. Since joining Trenton, Norton has been pure euthanasia to the opposition.

Since his addition, the UConn alum has allowed four hits and a run over 10 innings. He's struck out 15 and walked just three. In other words, he was dominant. For now, I imagine the closer's role will be filled some combo of Pope and Wilkins Arias.

-- Perhaps it's time to give Brandon Laird a day off. The slugger, whose 81 RBIs leads professional baseball, hasn't been so hot of late. Over the last 30 days, Laird is hitting just .252. Worse, over the last 10 games, he's put up a slash line of .194/.250/.444 with no extra-base hits and just four runs driven in. I don't think it's a coincidence that he's played in every game this season.

-- Don't be terribly surprised to see Ryan Baker added to the Thunder's roster before the All-Star break.

This happened late last night, but outfielder Justin Christian got promoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The move comes as no surprise, especially considering the S-Yanks had been at three outfielders for quite some time. Technically that's the situation they're in now, but that'll change once Marcus Thames is activated.

Now, the question is: Who's coming to the Thunder to replace Christian, if anyone? Well, there's a couple of scenarios. They could use Justin Snyder in left field, as was done 11 times last season. He's also played center field 18 times, so he could go there if Austin Krum needs a blow one of these days.

That said, if Snyder moves to the outfield for a while, that could pave the way for David Adams' activation from the DL, which should happen any day now regardless.

It could also mean that the Thunder are getting a new arm here soon. Currently, the Tampa Yankees have Andrew Brackman, Adam Warren, Dellin Betances, George Kontos, Graham Stoneburner and Shaeffer Hall active as starters. Manny Banuelos, who rehabbed yesterday in the GCL, isn't far behind.

That's seven starting pitchers for five spots. I suspect we'll see Brackman and/or Kontos here in short order.

Additionally, the XM Futures Game rosters were announced today, and catcher Austin Romine and starter Hector Noesi made the cut. Romine, one of the Yankees' bushelful of catching prospects, is hitting .283/.349/.759 in Trenton. Noesi, who arrived with the Thunder last month,
is 8-3 with a 2.54 ERA in 78 innings between High-A and Double-A. He's fanned 82 against 11 walks.

As mentioned earlier on the blog, Yankees pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras was in Trenton yesterday. Mike Ashmore and I sat down with him for about 10 minutes in the Thunder dugout before the game. What follows is the first half of that conversation. Enjoy.

MA: So, which teams have you seen so far this season?
NC: I've seen Tampa, I've seen Charleston and I've seen Scranton. This is the last stop.

MA: In those stops, who have you seen that you're excited about that we might be seeing here sometime soon?
NC: (Hector) Noesi has pitched well. (Adam) Warren has pitched well. ... Noesi and Warren would be the only two that have a chance right now, that are pitching well.

MA: What about those two makes them stand out?
NC: Being able to command the fastball and throw the offspeed pitches for strikes.

JN: How close a call was it to start Noesi in Trenton rather than Tampa?
NC: None at all. He just needed more time at Tampa to pitch.

JN: What about (Pat) Venditte? Is there a chance we seem here this year?
NC: There's always a chance to see anybody. Right now, no, unless someone gets hurt. Then I'd have to look in the bullpen to see who's pitching well and who's not.

Right now, anybody can come. Ortiz has pitched well closing. (Craig) Heyer has pitched well. (Brandon) Braboy is back, but he'll have to pitch a little bit more. (Dan) Kapala, we've stuck him in as a starter, and he's pitched well as a starter, but he's a reliever. Trenton Lare has pitched well at times, too.

JN: What is the situation right now with Banuelos? Was it an appendectomy?
NC: Yeah, he's still back in Mexico. We haven't seen him. It'll be a while.

JN: What is the typical recovery time for an appendectomy?
NC: I have no idea. My granddaughter, which happened just last year. The difference is: She was 5 years old. They don't take out the appendix when hers burst, because of all the infection. Adults, they go ahead and take it out.

So, I wouldn't know (about how long Banuelos might still be out of action). She (the granddaughter) was in the hospital for 32 days, in the hospital, with all the infection that was there. ... It was ugly. Hopefully that doesn't happen to us.

The first baseman/third baseman who was here last year (Jorge Vazquez). He's now back in the states, he's now hitting and working out. (He also had an appendectomy). His happened a week or two weeks before Banuelos. The time frame, I don't know, but he's back now.

I'm guessing, hoping -- hoping --that Banuelos will be coming back soon, because he's going to be a star.

MA: You've got some guys rehabbing now down in Tampa as well. Is (George) Kontos making any progress?
NC: They're all making progress. (Dellin) Betances has a chance to start at Tampa within a week or 10 days. Paul Bush will pitch tomorrow (in extended spring training) for the second time. So, I would say, one more week for him.

Kontos and (Brett) Marshall and (Andy) Shive are further away. They are doing bullpens now. They haven't started batting practices. Betances and Bush are close.

JN: What is (Andrew) Brackman working on down in Tampa?
NC: Brackman's working on, well, he's throwing strikes. That's the positive he's doing. ... His last game, numbers-wise, it looks ugly. He got two hard-hit balls against him. They day I saw him pitch was they day that -- and we weren't aware of it -- his finger was hurting him. He cut his finger during spring training. ... He had some infection and tried pitching. He gave up six, seven, eight runs the day I saw him, but everything but one ball was all groundballs in the infield or through the infield.

What he is doing is throwing strikes. He's learning now, because last year he didn't throw many strikes. He's throwing strikes now, and he's learning how to command. He needs to know how to command. He's throwing his curveball. He's learning the slider and the change-up, too. He's learning some other pitches to go along with his curveball and his fastball.