About the Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind

About the Off-Day: Meanderings of My Mind

By Tim Kabel

May 30, 2025

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Yesterday, the Yankees had a day off, after sweeping the three-game series against the Angels.  So far, the Yankees are 5-1 on this road trip. Tonight, they will open a three-game series against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. The Yankees are 35-20 and in first place in the American League East, seven games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays. Since there is no game to recap today, I will now dash from topic to topic like Barney Fife trying to capture a stray dog. 

·      Jazz Chisholm, Jr. was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment last night with AA Somerset. He was penciled in to play third base, which is consistent with what we have heard over the past couple of days. Despite the fact that the Yankees made a big deal about moving Chisholm back to second base in Spring Training and at the beginning of the season, it appears that he will return to third base. Typical of his character, Chisholm is on board with playing anywhere the Yankees want him to. At least part of the reasoning is that DJ LeMahieu feels more comfortable at second base. Since it is unlikely that the Yankees will shuttle Chisholm back and forth between second and third, that would indicate that LeMahieu will get the bulk of the playing time at second base, at least for now. At this point, LeMahieu is batting .184. Oswald Peraza is batting .160. Although Peraza is a very good fielder, he has not demonstrated an ability to hit on the Major League level. Another reason for the move of Chisholm back to third base may be as Michael Kay said on Wednesday night, that there are many more second basemen available via trade than there are third basemen. I don't think the Yankees are enamored with any of their in-house options at this point. Don’t be surprised to see them acquire a second baseman via trade. That could lead to the release of LeMahieu, as Peraza would be a better fit as a utility infielder and defensive replacement.

·      A quick update on my “fancy weight loss journey”. I finally passed the 50-pound barrier. I have lost 52 pounds so far. The journey continues. By the way, have you ever wondered why the abbreviation for pounds is lbs.? It is because the Latin word libra means scale or balance. The Latin phrase “libra pondo” means “a pound by weight”. I should change my name to Roger. On second thought, one is enough.

·      It seems more and more likely that Giancarlo Stanton will rejoin the Yankees without the benefit of a minor league rehab. Aaron Boone keeps putting forth the rationale that Stanton doesn't really need one because he doesn't play the field. I think he does need one because he always takes a great deal of time to get his timing and his swing down. It would be better to have him struggle with that in the minor leagues rather than doing so on the Major League roster. The other aspect to all of this is that we know Stanton will not sit on the bench. He will play. That means that Ben Rice will sit on the bench. Not only does that seem unfair, but it also seems like it could weaken the team. Rice has eleven home runs so far. There had been some suggestion of having Rice try his hand at third base. He reportedly even took some grounders there. Boone dismissed that notion and the fact that the Yankees will be moving Chisholm back to third eliminates it as a possibility. It seemed like it was definitely worth a try. If Rice could have done it, I think the Yankees would have been stronger with Chisholm and Rice in the lineup as opposed to Chisholm and LeMahieu.  I'm also concerned that the offense could struggle while it waits for Stanton to get things sorted out. I hope this does not jump start the annual Boone-Swoon. It very well could. 

·      There seems to be a rule in most businesses, particularly doctor's offices or other professions that the people who deal the most with the public, such as receptionists or customer service agents are the least personable, friendly, and helpful employees in the company. It's as if there's a checklist that includes eye rolling, sighing, looks of exasperation, an ability to deliver sarcastic comments, and a short temper. If someone doesn't have those qualities, they cannot get the position that requires them to interact with customers or patients. Similarly, I have noticed that in many of the big companies, such as the cable TV providers, the phone company, or companies like Amazon, the more complicated your request or situation, the more likely you are to be matched with an the agent who speaks little to no English. I have frequently been on the phone with someone who was perfectly fluent in English. Once they determined that things were going well, they transferred me to someone who struggled with the language. It seems to be a well-orchestrated plan to irritate people.

·      Will Warren seems to be settling in very nicely as a starter for the Yankees. It will be very interesting to see how he responds pitching against the Dodgers on Saturday. Regardless, I think he could become a fixture for the Yankees moving forward. I would hate to see the Yankees include him in a trade, especially for another pitcher. Although Luis Gil is expected to return, nothing is guaranteed. Besides, another injury could arise and having Warren already established in the rotation would be helpful and prudent.

·      I have been watching Mobland on Paramount plus. I enjoy it very much. I never realized that Tom Hardy is in essentially one out of every three movies or television programs that has been made in the last ten years. In that way, he reminds me of the late, great Gene Hackman, who went through a stretch of being in every other movie made in the 80’s. There was a line uttered by Pierce Brosnan in the show that I have decided to add to my personal repertoire. He stated in reference to one of his sons, “that boy is as useful as a chocolate teapot.” I know that I will use it at some point. The “Boone-Swoon” seems to be a likely place.

·      Surprisingly, as I have been suggesting, Aaron Boone is allowing some of the players, and particularly, Jasson Dominguez to run the bases a little more freely. Dominguez now has seven stolen bases and has not been thrown out at all. That could be a useful tool against the Dodgers this weekend. Once Chisholm returns, the Yankees will have four players capable of stealing a lot of bases: Dominguez, Chisholm, Anthony Volpe, and Cody Bellinger. They have several others who can steal on occasion as well.

·      I'm looking forward to seeing the latest Mission Impossible movie once it is streamed. I saw the first part. I find them to be very entertaining. Everyone always talks about how Tom Cruise does his own stunts. That's very impressive. He reminds me of Theodore Roosevelt, who was the first president to go up in an airplane, explored a previously uncharted river in South America, and delivered a speech after being shot. He also boxed while he was president.

·      On Wednesday night's broadcast of the Yankees’ game, Michael Kay was making a case for Willie Randolph, Jorge Posada, and Thurman Munson to all be in the Hall of Fame. I am completely on board with that. I don't know if it will ever happen for any of them but, I think it should.  Kay also spent a lot of time extolling the virtues of Roy White, who was a wonderful player. You know, someone should write a book about him. Wait a minute, Roy White and our esteemed editor, Dr. Semendinger, did. I highly recommend reading it.