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Saturday roster cuts deliver heartwarming Yankees news, surprising ex-Yankee demotion

Adam Weinrib
Adam Weinrib

Yanks Go Yard

Milwaukee Brewers v Chicago White Sox / Dylan Buell/GettyImages

The New York Yankees dropped Saturday afternoon's game in spectacular fashion, but they made sure in the wake of the loss to salvage the day with a heartwarming gesture.

Though their backup catcher race has been seemingly decided for weeks, the Yankees left no doubt about the result by propping cameras up throughout Aaron Boone's office a few days before heading north.

In the latest twist on the ongoing trend of keeping players on edge while their managers deliver excellent news, Boone kept JC Escarra sitting and squirming for nearly a minute while telling him about how much depth the Yankees have at the position, and how difficult the decision was for him.

Of course, Boone eventually cracked; logic won out, and he alerted Escarra, owner of a .333 average, .936 OPS and three homers, that he'd made the Opening Day roster.

Yankees bring JC Escarra onto MLB roster, Brewers demote Caleb Durbin

Beyond deserved. Boone came off very well here, as he (and the rest of the Yankees Universe) now await Escarra taking the next steps in his big-league journey. Ben Rice, who will likely start the season in the starting DH role, will be the team's third catcher behind Escarra, who went from Uber driver to pinstripes seamlessly.

The news was slightly less rosy, and somewhat unexpected, for a former Yankee at Brewers camp on Saturday.

Caleb Durbin, once thought to be in the mix for the Yankees' Opening Day infield, was instead dealt to Milwaukee, along with Nestor Cortes Jr., in exchange for Devin Williams in December. Though he showed off his pop early in camp, he was unable to take the leap, even with a depleted infield/late Brice Turang injury.

Durbin, who ended up at .250 with a .726 OPS, will head to Triple-A Nashville, while another former Yankee, Jake Bauers, likely retains the backup roster spot that Durbin surrendered.

Eventually, the loss of Durbin could come back to haunt the Yankees. But it won't be today.

No, today is all about good feelings (except for the final score). Escarra made one of the largest, most unexpected leaps in recent Yankees history, and made himself undeniable. Now, he'll get a chance to establish his legacy further.

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib

Adam Weinrib is a Content Director on the FanSided network, and has been the co-editor at Yanks Go Yard for 6 years. He also co-hosts The Baseball Insiders Podcast thrice weekly, alongside FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, as well as the Yanks Go Yard Podcast. Previously, he was a Senior Editor at 12up.com, and has been covering MLB and NFL for 10 years. He was also a headline and features contributor at ClickHole and Onion Sports, as well as the Associate Producer of the ESPN 30 for 30 film "Believeland". An avowed fan of the New York sports teams -- specifically the Yankees -- as well as the North Carolina Tar Heels, you can find Adam complaining mid-game on Twitter, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn if the game goes really poorly.