I e-mailed Mark Newman about an hour ago regarding injury recovery for Steve Garrison, Austin Romine and Graham Stoneburner. Here's what he said.

Austin Romine - "to play tonight"

Steve Garrison - "to start tomorrow in Trenton"

Graham Stoneburner - "is in Tampa and will have rehab starts in the GCL"

Romine has been out since June 2 with a mild concussion he suffered on a play at the plate against Altoona. He was named to the Futures Game roster yesterday (his second trip). Before the injury, he was hitting .298/.362/.421 with four homers and 31 RBIs.

Garrison, a native of Trenton, had been out since a hamstring injury forced him out of his May 3 start after just one inning. He made a rehab start with Staten Island on June 21, going five shutout innings against the Hudson Valley Renegades. He allowed four hits, a walk and struck out four.

Stoneburner last pitched for the Thunder on April 21. Neck problems made him a late scratch from his next scheduled start, which would have come in his hometown of Richmond, Va. He threw two innings in the GCL today, striking out four. His only baserunner came on a hit by pitch.

Additionally, David Adams has been rehabbing with the GCL Yankees. In three contests, he is 6-for-9 with a double and three runs scored. He has been removed around the sixth inning in each game, usually replaced by Taylor Anderson.

Someone with knowledge of the situation said that he expected Adams' rehab to be on the longer side. I would imagine that the next step is to play full games.

TRENTON – Those in attendance at Friday’s game between the Thunder and the Binghamton Mets will witness something that’s never happened at Waterfront Park – Kei Igawa will make his first home start in Double-A.

The left-hander on whom the Yankees invested $48 million five seasons ago skipped Double-A on his initial ascent through the minors. Now, in the final year of his deal, the time has come for him to make a start in Trenton.

That chance will come because Steve Garrison – a Hun School alumnus – has gone back to Tampa to rehab his strained left groin. That means there’s a spot in the rotation open for the foreseeable future.

“He pitched well the other day,” manager Tony Franklin said, referring to his start on Sunday in the team’s finale with the Akron Aeros. “(He was) a little shaky in the first two innings, but he settled down and gave the team a chance to win. That’s the only thing we can ask for from him.”

If it’s any indication as to how long the team expects Garrison to be away, reliever Brian Anderson – also on the disabled list – has moved into what was Garrison’s locker.

NOTES: Dellin Betances, yesterday’s starter, was expected to throw either five innings or 100 pitches, whichever came first. … Corban Joseph’s hitting streak ended on Saturday at 17 games. He started another one quickly, however, collecting three hits on Sunday. … Ray Kruml and Austin Krum have combined to steal 25 bases in as many tries.

I expected Steve Garrison would be placed on the disabled list, given the obvious injury that occurred in yesterday's game. Anderson, however, is a bit of a surprise. He's been nails so far this season, and losing him is a huge blow to the Thunder's bullpen.

Getting Josh Schmidt, however, might be a bit of a boon. He's always performed well in extensive experience in the Eastern League, and is capable of doing anything from getting one out, to going multiple innings, to starting.

In Scranton this season, Schmidt was 2-1 with a 1.17 ERA. He'd allowed six hits in 7 2/3 innings, walked four and struck out 11.

He's been moderately successful at every level, but he's seen as an organizational pitcher, and shuttling back and forth between clubs.

Thunder's Steve Garrison - a Ewing native - was injured in Tuesday's game. Trentonian File Photo

TRENTON — After an early exit yesterday, it seems Thunder starter and Trenton native Steve Garrison is headed back to what throughout his career has become an all-too-familiar place — the disabled list.

A strained groin led to Garrison’s exit after just one inning in yesterday’s 5-2 Thunder loss to the Portland Sea Dogs, leaving the work on the mound up to a patchwork crew of relievers.

“It was just something that I couldn’t make my pitches with and I couldn’t execute my pitches with,” he said. “When I knew I couldn’t make my pitches out there, I didn’t want to hurt the team any more than I was already.”

Since 2008, the left-hander has had surgeries to repair a partially torn left rotator cuff, to clean up his left labrum, and to fix a tear in his right ACL.

A sprained ankle of July 18 of last year put him on the shelf until Sept. 6, when he was waived by the Padres and claimed by the Yankees at the suggestion of Kevin Towers, then a special advisor with the club.

It wasn’t spelled out explicitly yesterday, but it seems likely that Garrison will have to miss at least a start.

“We don’t know yet. I just don’t know,” manager Tony Franklin said. “In the past, we’ve always been very cautious with our injuries, as you know. We’re going to give him the time he needs. That’s for sure.”

If that is the case, his absence will create another hole in the Thunder’s rotation, which has also been without Graham Stoneburner since the middle of last month. Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos have also spent time on the shelf — both with blisters — leaving Shaeffer Hall as the only Trenton starter to stay healthy through the season’s first five weeks.

Early candidates to fill Garrison’s spot are Cory Arbiso and Kei Igawa, both of whom pitched in yesterday’s loss.

Aside from the mounting injuries, yesterday’s loss also continued Trenton’s trend of uninspired play during day games. The team is now 1-6 in those contests, and manager Tony Franklin mentioned after Monday’s win that he was worried how his team would come out for the morning affair.

“I told them (Sunday night), it’s not OK to win a couple of games, have a quick turnaround and come out flat without any enthusiasm or passion to play,” he said. “That’s been a trend, and we have to stop this trend.”

Obviously, the trend continued, and it looked obvious early that it was going to happen once again.

Before Garrison left, he permitted two runs to the Sea Dogs, both of which could have been avoided were it not for a throw from Yadil Mujica that skipped in and out of first baseman Addison Maruszak’s glove to begin the game.

An out later, Tim Federowicz’s groundout and Ryan Lavarnway’s single gave Portland an early 2-0 cushion.

In the bottom half of the second inning, it was the Thunder’s offense’s turn to disappoint.

Brad Suttle opened with a triple, and had Cody Johnson, Jose Gil and Ray Kruml coming up.

No man hit a ball out of the infield, and Suttle was stranded.

“That’s always frustrating,” Franklin said. “It’s almost like a gimme, but the guy on the mound has something to do with it as well. We just didn’t make it happen today.”

After throwing just one inning and 30 pitches, Thunder starter Steve Garrison was removed from today's game. With so few pitches, there's a pretty good chance Garrison is hurt, but we'll know more after the game.

For Garrison, the disabled list is a familiar place. Since 2008, he’s had surgeries to repair a partially torn left rotator cuff, to clean up his left labrum, and to fix a tear in his right ACL.

A sprained ankle of July 18 of last year put him on the shelf until Sept. 6, when he was waived by the Padres and claimed by the Yankees at the suggestion of Kevin Towers, then a special advisor with the club.

PORTLAND, Me. — Just like last night, the Thunder didn’t put forth much offense against the Portland Sea Dogs. This time, though, it cost them a game.

Brad Suttle collected the team’s only two hits – both singles in a 7-0 loss at Hadlock Field in the team’s penultimate game before heading home for the inaugural 2011 homestand.

Trenton native Steve Garrison started and, after cruising for a few frames, got roughed up by Portland’s bats in the fourth. Five of the first six Sea Dogs hitters against Garrison in that inning collected hits, including doubles from Oscar Tejeda, Jonathan Hee and Alex Hassan.

As has been the case quite often this season, Trenton’s defense didn’t perform well. Jose Pirela made his fifth error of the season and Yadil Mujica committed one later on, adding to the team’s total of 12 over the first six games. To put that into perspective, the Thunder wound up with 95 miscues in 142 games through all of 2010.

Aside from Suttle’s two knocks, the only other offensive output the Thunder mustered against Red Sox prospect Alex Wilson came via walks from Cody Johnson and Myron Leslie, playing first base in his season debut.

Notably, Addison Maruszak made his professional catching debut in place of Austin Romine, who had caught the previous five games.

The road swing concludes tonight when Shaeffer Hall takes the ball against Brock Huntzinger at 6:00 p.m.

Monday LHP Manny Banuelos (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Michael Lee (0-0, 0.00)
Tuesday LHP Steve Garrison (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Alex Wilson (1-0, 5.40)
Wednesday LHP Shaeffer Hall (0-0, 7.20) vs. RHP Brock Huntzinger (0-1, 14.73)

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Against their perpetual foil from last season, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Thunder came out on top on Opening Day, thanks to a strong performance from the pitching staff.

Hun alumnus Steve Garrison started and went four shutout innings before handing the ball to Craig Heyer in the fifth.

Heyer, despite walking two men and giving up an unearned run over three innings, picked up the win.

Melky Mesa, the team’s new center fielder, started his Thunder career strong with a run-scoring double in the second frame. Mesa later added a single, finishing a solid 2-for-4 debut.
Cody Johnson and Brad Suttle also smacked two-baggers in the victory.

Most of the damage came against Zach Stewart, a top Jays prospect who was 1-0 with a 3.29 ERA in five starts against the Thunder last season.

Tim Norton and Fernando Hernandez pitched the final two innings.

If one were to look for a flaw in this win, it would be found on the defense.

Trenton made four errors last night, including two from second baseman Corban Joseph, one from shortstop Jose Pirela, and a catcher’s interference call leveled against Austin Romine.

The teams face each other again tonight, when Shaeffer Hall will make his Eastern League debut against circuit stalwart Reider Gonzalez.

TRENTON — Late in spring training, all signs pointed to Yankees uber-prospect Manny Banuelos starting the Thunder’s opener tomorrow in New Hampshire.

He made his final tune-up on Saturday, which seemed to put him on track for the April 7 nod. David Phelps and Brett Marshall had done the same, and both are slated to start the openers for Scranton and Tampa, respectively.

Now, because of a family matter, the 20-year-old left-hander’s re-introduction to the Eastern League has been put on hold.

Banuelos traveled back to his native Mexico after camp broke to be with his sick grandmother, and was not at yesterday’s Media Day at Waterfront Park. He will re-join the team for its second series, in Portland, where he will round out the Thunder’s re-vamped rotation.

Announced yesterday, here’s how the Trenton’s starting five will stack up to begin 2011:

Tomorrow: Steve Garrison
Friday: Shaeffer Hall
Saturday: Graham Stoneburner
Sunday: Dellin Betances
Monday: Manny Banuelos

Garrison, a Trenton native and a graduate of the Hun School, in Princeton, will battle Zach Stewart at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in a matchup of the top two teams in the EL East from 2010.

•••

At right, you can see the team’s official roster to begin the season. It features 27 players, so three of them will have to be inactive in one form or another by the time tomorrow rolls around. The team can do so by either placing a player on the disabled list or transferring him to the roster of the Staten Island Yankees, who do not begin play until June.

Catcher Nick McCoy is an obvious candidate to be knocked off the roster quickly, simply because he’s never played a game at either level of A-ball.

As for the other two players, well, that’s still up in the air.

“I really don’t know,” manager Tony Franklin, back for his fifth go-round with the Thunder, said yesterday in his office. “I can’t give you anything definitive about that. It will probably be a last-minute decision before we make that adjustment on the roster.”

There are no truly obvious candidates outside of McCoy, but one would imagine a pitcher and an outfielder would be the positions which could most easily spare a body.

•••

Here’s a guess at what a lineup for tomorrow might look like:

1. Austin Krum - LF
2. Corban Joseph - 2B
3. Austin Romine - C
4. Melky Mesa - CF
5. Brad Suttle - 1B
6. Cody Johnson - RF
7. Damon Sublett - DH
8. Addison Maruszak - 3B
9. Jose Pirela - SS

TAMPA, Fla. – When Steve Garrison, a Trenton native, learned he had been assigned to the Thunder he did what any good son would do first: He called his mother.

“I called my mom to tell her I’m coming home,” he said yesterday after his completing his start in a split-squad game. “Before spring training, she knew there was a chance that I was going to Trenton. She was very excited. With the past two organizations I’ve been with (the Brewers and the Padres), I haven’t been anywhere close to the northeast, so it’s really nice to be on a team that has a team in the northeast. I’m very excited to see my family and friends.”

Garrison, now officially penned in behind Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, Graham Stoneburner and Shaeffer Hall as the final member to the team’s rotation, has taken a rather circuitous road home from draft day in 2005, when the Brewers made him their 10^th-round selection.

He started his career in rookie ball, with the Arizona League Brewers, before moving up to Low-A West Virginia the next season.

In July 2007, Garrison was swapped the Padres with fellow prospects Will Inman and Joe Thatcher for reliever Scott Linebrink, and spent the next three seasons tooling around San Diego’s system before San Diego gave him his walking papers in the middle of 2010.

With former Padres general manager Kevin Towers lurking in their system, the Yankees pounced. They designated lefty reliever Wilkin De La Rosa for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, then quickly claimed Garrison. He was scheduled to join the team for its playoff run, but a lingering injury put the kibosh on that thought.

Now, though, after spending the latter part of his days with the Padres working out of the bullpen, the Yankees have moved Garrison back to the rotation, where he will round out a Thunder rotation that includes top prospects Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances, as well as Graham Stoneburner and Shaeffer Hall.

If the weather cooperates, Garrison’s Thunder debut will take place on April 11 on the road against the Portland Sea Dogs. His Waterfront Park debut should come five days later, when Trenton takes on the Harrisburg Senators.

Because Garrison spent much of spring training in the major league camp, Thunder manager Tony Franklin hasn’t gotten much of a look at him. After a sharp outing on Sunday, however, Franklin sounded as if the lefty had made a good initial impression.

“What I saw today was pretty doggone good,” Franklin said. “There’s another good arm for the Thunder franchise and for our club, and that’s a good thing.”

Aside from his family and friends, there is another comfort of home for which Garrison simply could not find a viable substitute throughout his stops throughout the country.

“I love pork roll,” he said, a broad smile across his face. “I can’t wait to have a pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich. I miss it. I can’t have too many of them, but I can’t wait to have one.”

TAMPA, Fla. – With spring training all but over, the minor league rosters have been all but finalized. The Trentonian this morning was able to get its hands on a copy of something a source confirmed was “pretty much” what the team would look like come Opening Day.





Among the roster’s highlights will be Steve Garrison, the Trenton native and Hun School alumnus. Per pitching coach Tommy Phelps, Garrison is slated to be the team’s fifth starter, following Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, Graham Stoneburner and Shaeffer Hall.

Acquired from the Padres toward the conclusion of last season, Garrison just missed making the big club as a left-handed arm out of the bullpen. Luis Ayala eventually won the job, but Garrison stayed in the mix until the very end.

The rest of the roster shakes down like this: Austin Romine will be the starting catcher for the second straight season, and Myron Leslie, a former Oakland farmhand, will back him up.

On the infield, you can expect to see Brad Suttle, Corban Joseph, Jose Pirela and Addison Maruszak from first to third. Yadil Mujica, a Cuban defector who recently signed on with the Yankees, might also see time at third.

Jack Rye, an outfielder with Tampa and who has spent time this spring breaking in a first baseman’s mitt, will fit in as a utility player.

The outfield will have former first-rounder Cody Johnson, whom the Braves let go this offseason, along with Melky Mesa and Damon Sublett. Austin Krum and Ray Kruml, speedy outfielders both, will also be in the mix.

The bullpen should have distinct flavors of both left-handedness and internationality, with Japanese southpaws Kei Igawa and Noaya Okamoto both fitting into relief roles. Wilkins Arias, a stalwart on previous Thunder squads, also returns to Waterfront Park.

Igawa is in the final season of a five-year, $20 million contract that, for the Yankees, has been a total disaster. For the Thunder, however, putting a guy who has been near-dominant at Triple-A might be an absolute coup.

He’s never pitched at Double-A, instead going straight from Tampa to Scranton back in 2007, his inaugural season with the Yankees.

Other arms in the bullpen are Cory Arbiso and Craig Heyer – long relievers and spot starters both – as well as Tim Norton, Fernando Hernandez and Pat Venditte, the switch-pitcher.

…

Manny Banuelos started for the Tampa work group today, putting him on track for Opening Day on Thursday in New Hampshire. Because Kevin Millwood was getting his work in with the Triple-A work group, David Phelps got the start with the Thunder. He’ll more than likely start Opening Day with Scranton. Brett Marshall took the ball for the Charleston group, meaning he’ll probably be on the mound when the Tampa Yankees open their Florida State League title defense on Thursday.

Romine and Suttle each homered in the Thunder’s win over the Jays’ Double-A squad.

Just spoke with Hun alumnus Steve Garrison, who was sent down to minor league camp this afternoon after the Yankees chose veteran Luis Ayala for the last spot in the team's bullpen.

Garrison said that, although he'd obviously hoped he'd make the team, he'd been "planning for the worst," and that there was no feeling of ill will toward Ayala at all.

Far from it, in fact.

Garrison said that the idea of the two in some sort of competition had been overblown, and that the two had been rooting for one another since early in spring training.

There will be more to come on this story later at Trentonian.com

New York Daily News beat writer Mark Feinsand tweeted this morning that lefty reliever Luis Ayala was sitting right next to him on his plane home into Newark airport. It would seem to follow, then, that Ayala has won the job as the last man in the Yankees' bullpen.

This information, of course, is contrary to how manager Joe Girardi said it would play out yesterday, when he said neither reliever would make the trip north and that, if necessary, one would fly to New York late tonight.

Apparently, no suitable replacement became available on the waiver wire between yesterday and this morning, and the go-ahead was given to summon Ayala.

With that in mind, I expect to see Garrison this morning in minor league camp, and later today in Bradenton, where the Yankees' upper-level minor leaguers will play their counterparts from the Pittsburgh organization. I'll get some reaction from Garrison as soon as I have it.

Keep up to date with all my coverage this week HERE, and don't forget to stop by my live Web chat tonight at 8 p.m. A link to the chat will be available here and at The Trentonian's website.

TAMPA, Fla. – Hours before the Yankees played their final spring training tune-up, relievers Steve Garrison and Luis Ayala stood at Garrison’s locker and exchanged pleasantries. Ayala , with four tropical-looking bracelets on his left wrist, showed off his glove to Garrison.

For more exclusive Thunder content, including blog posts, pictures, video and stories, go HERE

Garrison tried on the glove, then asked if Ayala wanted to go play catch in the outfield to warm up their arms. Ayala politely declined, smiled, then made his way back across the room to his locker, which is just to the left of the clubhouse door as one enters.

It may not have looked it from the outside, but these two pitchers were competing for a shot at the final spot in the Yankees’ bullpen, a second left-hander to complement Boone Logan. The chance was made available because Pedro Feliciano, a southpaw whom New York acquired in the offseason, has a triceps injury that will put him on the disabled list for Thursday’s Opening Day.

For Garrison, a native of Ewing and a graduate of the Hun School in Princeton, pitching in the major leagues in the northeast would be extra special.

"To make any big league team would be an honor,” Garrison said yesterday. “It's kind of what my main goal is and everything like that. Just to be close to home is a blessing. I've always wanted to play up in the northeast where my home is and my family and friends are. It would be a really great opportunity."

Despite not being on the list of scheduled pitchers for yesterday’s game, Garrison got in an inning against the Tigers, relieving, ironically enough, Ayala. Garrison worked around two hits – both to left-handers – to keep Detroit off the board in what wound up a 2-1 Yankees win.

On the surface, the fifth inning appeared to be one final audition for manager Joe Girardi, but he’d already made it clear before the game that neither pitcher would be going north with the team initially.

“None of them are going. Ayala and Garrison are staying here. If one of them joins us, he’ll join us Wednesday evening,” the manager explained.

In the meantime, the Yankees most likely will monitor the waiver wires as other teams make their cuts before setting their final rosters tomorrow evening. If a better option pops up, they’ll pursue him and leave Garrison and Ayala to build innings in the minor leagues.

Even without a spot certain, however, one could clearly see how delighted Garrison was with spending the entire spring in big league camp. It was a far cry from last season at this time, when he was a member of the Padres organization and had his leg in a brace while recovering from knee surgery.

“It’s definitely an honor. I love being in this organization. Everybody’s been so great to me. I’m blessed to be here, and it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been really nice to be healthy and to be a part of all this,” he said.

Assuming the weather holds up Wednesday, Garrison and Ayala will take the long bus ride over to Bradenton to play the Pirates in a minor league game. Although neither is likely to pitch, it should be an eventful, anxious day for both hurlers.

If the Yankees don’t find anything to their liking on the scrap heap, one will hop a plane to New York to join the team before its season-opening matinee against Detroit on Thursday. For Ayala, who’s pitched in 377 games in the show, getting the call would be a welcome respite from another stint in Triple-A.

As for Garrison, who has appeared in just five games above Double-A in his career, a call late tomorrow would be a far greater thrill.

“It’s what you always wanted to do,” he said. “It’s what you’re there for. Again, I’m honored that they think highly enough of me to put me at that level.”

Joe Girardi just met with the media, and here's the deal on Steve Garrison vs. Luis Ayala for the last spot in the bullpen. No decision has been made, and neither man will come to New York with big club tonight.

Both Garrison and Ayala are staying in Tampa until one of them is needed. In the meanwhile, the Yankees will monitor the waiver wire for a left-hander as teams make cuts to trim their rosters before opening day. I spoke with Garrison before Girardi met with the media, and here's what he had to say about possibly pitching with the Yankees in the future.

"To make any big league would be an honor. It's kind of what my main goal is and everything like that. Just to be close to home is a blessing. I've always wanted to play up in the northeast where my home is and my family and friends are. It would be a really great opportunity."'

That's what I've got for now, but I'll have more later. I've got to jet back across the street to see some guy named Rivera pitch against Phillies minor leaguers, and some guy named Granderson take at-bats against them.

Good morning.

According to the local weather station, Tampa exceeded its predicted 1.8 inches of rainfall and instead got 3 inches of rain yesterday. In 15 years of living in Oregon, I don't think I've ever seen anything like what happened outside my window over the last 12 hours or so.

Anyway, on to the baseball stuff and what I (hopefully) have on tap for today. The Yankees play their last spring training game this afternoon, and there's still one big decision to be made. Steve Garrison, a product of the Hun School and a Ewing native, is battling Luis Ayala to be the second left-hander in Joe Girardi's bullpen.

Given that the team leaves for the Bronx this evening, that decision should be made today. I'm going to be over there to try to get Garrison's reaction one way or the other.

Across the street, the Double-A and Triple-A work groups are scheduled to play the Phllies' minor leaguers this afternoon. Mariano Rivera and Curtis Granderson are slated to get in some work in those games, so that should be pretty fun to watch.

Also, today should mark the first appearance from Austin Romine in minor league camp, given that he was officially named the Thunder's catcher yesterday. Jesus Montero should also be at the Himes Avenue complex, only this time as an official minor leaguer. He was there yesterday, but he hadn't been cut at that point.

I expect to see Manny Banuelos tomorrow.

If you've missed any of my coverage from the last two days, you can catch up over at The Trentonian's Thunder page, which will be updated throughout the season as well. You can as also find me on Twitter under the name @jnorris427.

The Yankees made six cuts after today's win over the Orioles. Andrew Brackman, Brandon Laird, Melky Mesa and Kevin Russo were optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, while pitchers Ryan Pope and Steve Garrison were sent to Double-A.

Garrison, Mesa and Pope are interesting because you'd figure that, with their relative levels of experience, they'd be sent to different spots.

Mesa, who hasn't played a game above High-A, figures to be the Thunder's opening day center fielder. With 371 1/3 innings of Double-A ball between them, Pope and Garrison both seem ticketed for Scranton.

The options made today are only placeholders, to be sure, but they are a bit intriguing on March 16.

By JOSH NORRIS
Staff Writer

TRENTON — After putting left-hander Wilkin De La Rosa on waivers last night to open a spot on the 40-man roster, the Yankees have filled that hole with a little bit of local flavor.

Steve Garrison, also a southpaw, from the Hun School in Princeton, was claimed on waivers by the Yankees earlier yesterday afternoon, and will report to the Thunder for the playoffs.

Garrison was still dealing wit the shock of being removed from the Padres’ 40-man roster when general manager Brian Cashman to tell him the news.

“I really don’t know what I’m feeling right now,” he said. “It’s a big-time roller-coaster. … I’m thankful people still believe in me.”

Garrison, who has had an issue with a bone spur in his left foot, will fly to Philadelphia this morning to meet with Yankees head trainer Gene Monahan and take a physical.

If he passes, he believes will join the Thunder on Sunday for the if-necessary Game 5 at Waterfront Park.

De La Rosa’s removal from the 40-man roster comes at a bad time for the Thunder, who also suspended J.B. Cox yesterday after an altercation in the dugout on Wednesday with manager Tony Franklin.

Initial reports suggested that De La Rosa’s removal from the 40-man roster had little, if anything, to do with

Witnesses said Cox, who was upset after being removed from the game in favor of Pat Venditte, slammed the ball down before getting chest to chest with his skipper and engaging him in an extended argument.

For a man who has already left the organization once, gotten in a bar fight before spring training and been disciplined for writing an obscenity on his shoes, this may have marked the last straw for Cox in the Yankees organization.

“We took some action,” Franklin said, referring to the suspension. “We felt the action was needed. I wish him well. If his career has ended with the Yankees, I hate for it to end on this note.”

Ben Watkins, a right-hander, was promoted yesterday from Charleston to fill one of the spots. Garrison will fill the other.

Watkins joins teammate Taylor Grote, who joined the Thunder in New Britain over the weekend, as former RiverDogs suddenly thrust into a playoff situation.

“My mood went from great, being home and seeing my family and friends,” Watkins said, “to even better, getting to play some playoffs here in Trenton.”