Yankees call up Garett Cooper to replace Matt Holliday

On Sunday morning, the Yankees placed Matt Holliday on the 10-day DL with a left lumbar strain, retroactive to Aug 5. First baseman Garrett Cooper is the corresponding move.

Timing is everything. And the time had come for the Yankees to make a decision on the fate of Matt Holliday.

You see, since returning in mid-July from a viral infection, Holliday put together a dreadful .136/.165/.198 slash line with one home run, four RBI and 24 strikeouts in 81 at-bats.

Taking Holliday’s place on the 25-man roster is Garrett Cooper, who had a cup of coffee with the club after being acquired from the Brewers in July. In 25-at bats, the 26-year-old career minor leaguer only managed to hit .240 with one RBI — striking out nine times.

Whether or not you feel Cooper is getting another shot because his Triple-A numbers are superb (.357/.419/.636 with 17 homers in 77 games) remains to be seen.

With Aaron Hicks expected to play a full nine innings on Sunday in Scranton, most expect the Yankees to activate him prior their game on Tuesday against the Blue Jays. Meaning, the most likely scenario is that we’ll only be hangin’ with Mr. Cooper for one more day — at least until the rosters expand to 40 in September.

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According to Elite Sports NY, Hicks sounds ready to rejoin his teammates in Toronto.

“I feel good,” Hicks said. “Body feels good right now — I’m all about getting my swing right and doing what I can do to get best prepared. I’m 100 percent (healthy).”

Prior to his DL stint, Hicks was slashing .290/.398/.515 with 15 doubles, 10 home runs and 37 RBI.

Moving Holliday to the disabled list alleviates the club from even contemplating having to send Clint Frazier to the minors. Manager Joe Girardi can now rotate the DH spot — keeping his regular outfielders fresh down the stretch.

I’ve read in a few places that the Yanks would be wise to move Gary Sanchez to DH for the time being. This thought is highlighted by his AL leading 13 passed balls, and being second among all MLB catchers with 10 errors.

My main issue with this is that it then pushes Austin Romine and his .226 batting average into the starting lineup. I understand that he’s a solid defensive backstop, but can this team really afford another woeful stick on top of an already unproductive lineup — especially with RISP? The answer is NO!

Another name that has been floated as a potential lightning rod to get the offense rolling is Miguel Andujar. You may remember him as the rookie that went 3-for-4 with four RBI in his major-league debut against the White Sox only to get sent down the next day.

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I keep hearing the Yankees aren’t sold on his glove, but we’re talking about strict DH duties here. With an uber impressive .341 average, six homers and 17 RBI in 31 games at Triple-A, the only reason I can think as to why he didn’t get the call is that Hicks will replace Cooper come this time Tuesday.