Yanks Send Three More To Minors

New York Yankees center fielder Slade Heathcott. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees sent three youngsters to the Minor Leagues on Wednesday. None of the three came as a surprise.

The Yankees optioned outfielder Slade Heathcott and left hander Nik Turley to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Top prospect Gary Sanchez has been sent to Double-A Trenton.

The Bombers elected to send Sanchez to Trenton for more seasoning as opposed to letting him start the season in Triple-A, which means John Ryan Murphy will likely start the season in Scranton. Sanchez has put together a nice spring, going 3/9 with a homer and two runs scored. His three strikeouts were likely a contributing factor as well as an indication he needs to work on his plate discipline. Heathcott and Turley were unable to get into game action due to injuries. Heathcott had off-season knee surgery and hopes to be ready for the start of the season. The hard-throwing Turley, suffered from arm tightness throughout the spring, but manager, Joe Girardi was not overly concerned and the hope is that he too, will be ready to go when the Triple-A season opens.

Jose Ramirez and Francisco Rondon were optioned to the minors on Sunday. Don’t expect to see any more roster cuts until the Yankees return from their trip to Panama next week.