Sometimes in life, it’s funny how timing can work out and provide opportunities that might not have otherwise been there – and in the last 24 hours, a series of events in the Yankees organization that mirror the movie “Crash” have made that prophecy reality for a handful of prospects.
The synergy started Sunday, when the Yankees placed Eduardo Nunez on the disabled list and recalled Alberto Gonzalez from Triple-A, leaving a spot open on the RailRiders’ roster; to fill it, Scranton added infielder Reegie Corona from Double-A. That might seem unremarkable out of context, but is quite a moment if you know that Corona has been in the Yankees system for almost a decade and has been waiting to return to Scranton for nearly three years.
Corona played 105 games for Scranton in 2010 and could’ve found a utility role in the Bronx at some point, but he suffered a serious arm injury in a collision that July and ended up missing the rest of that season, as well as 2011 and 2012, recovering. The Yankees re-signed him last winter as a reserve, and after being activated at Double-A Trenton on May 1, he returned to Triple-A on Sunday, finally coming full circle in a career that was nearly ended on the same field 33 months earlier.
On Monday, the Yankees were set to play a doubleheader against Cleveland, making up games that were rained out back in April; thus, the Yankees were allowed to call up a 26th man for the day and extended that spot to infielder Corban Joseph, who finally made his Major League debut (starting at first base in Game 1) two weeks after being recalled for two games but never playing after Kevin Youkilis went on the DL.
With Joseph up – and RHP Brett Marshall, one of Scranton’s starting five, reportedly in Cleveland in case a pitching move needed to be made between games – the RailRiders needed a starter for Monday’s game and had an open spot on the roster for one day; as it happened, Double-A Trenton had an off day Monday, so LHP Nik Turley, who was scheduled to start Tuesday for the Thunder, will be added to pitch Scranton’s season finale against Gwinnett.
That spot likely would’ve gone to whoever was lined up for Tuesday’s game regardless, but it’s a nice moment for Turley, a former 50th-round draft pick who spent time in Major League camp this spring and had made seven starts for the Thunder this season.
And there you have it: a handful of events, all unrelated and most reactionary, have given one player (and possibly a second) the chance to make his Major League debuts, one to finally finish something he started three years prior, and one the biggest opportunity of his career, all in the span of a day where, to paraphrase Dante from Clerks, the Yankees weren’t even supposed to be here.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroYES
