The New York Yankees don't plan to explore any outside options to replace the poor production they've received from their catchers this season. Instead, the team could opt to promote catching prospect J.R. Murphy, general manager Brian Cashman told Mike Vorkunov of the Newark Star-Ledger on Friday:
Yankees C J.R. Murphy a candidate for promotion to majors, says Brian Cashman
Yankees catchers have struggled all year and the team wasn’t helped by Francisco Cervelli’s setback while rehabbing. Rather than searching for outside help, the team may call upon a young prospect to fill the void.
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
“The catching market is completely barren ... If you’re looking at a catcher, then probably a guy we’ll focus on is J.R. Murphy more than anybody else. He’s doing great. I’m not saying we’d do anything, but if you’re looking at alternatives, that’s the most realistic one we got.”
Murphy, 22, is hitting .276/.361/.444 across two minor league stops this season. He’s currently playing for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Murphy was not considered one of the team’s top 10 prospects entering the season, but is performing well, especially when taking age into context.
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Yankees catchers are hitting a combined .220/.289/.317 on the season. Francisco Cervelli was easily the best of the bunch, posting an .877 OPS in 61 plate appearances, but he suffered a setback in rehab while working his way back from a hand injury. He will be kept on the shelf for two weeks, after which point he'll be re-evaluated by the team.
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