Yankees Excited By Progress of Manny Banuelos

Yankees fans have patiently waited for the day Manny Banuelos realizes all of that potential and becomes a significant contributor in the Bronx.

But it has been one set back after another for the southpaw in his quest to make that happen. It seems that every time he gets into a groove something happens. Just as he seemed to be on his way to recovery from his elbow bruise, he tore his UCL. That resulted in Tommy John surgery. So, he was basically on the shelf until April of 2014.

Once cleared medically, he got right back to work and made his way back to Scranton. But the Yankees remained cautious about his progress.

“He was able to achieve the objective to build innings and increase the workload. He was on a plan designed by pitching coordinator Gil Patterson and monitored by our medical people. He then made four more starts in the Instructional League to go a little longer,” said assistant GM Billy Eppler to George King according to River Avenue Blues. “Everybody walked away feeling good. He is still in the stage of where you have to watch him but he will be ready to roll in Spring Training. He will come in and compete for a job. The velocity was there and he developed a cutter as well.”

So that is good news for the Yankees as dependable lefties are always a welcome addition to the bullpen, which is where Banuelos appears to be slated to compete for a job in 2015. He will likely compete with Justin Wilson and Jose De Paula in Spring Training for a spot.

With everything he has been through, it is easy to forget that he still is only 23 year old. Perhaps he has put all of his hard luck behind him and is ready to help the Yankees in a big way. We shall see.