holly shit
id never thought id hear it again buts its back. the yankee shuttle lllloll
++++++++++
Small would have started for the Yankees on Sunday night had Leiter not been acquired on Saturday. That was just the latest false start for Small, who had been told several times this season that he may be called up to New York.
"I wasn't disappointed that they got other people, but I was looking forward to the challenge," Small said. "I was disappointed, thinking I had a chance to get back to the big leagues, not with the moves they made. I have no control over that."
Small will fill the spot in the rotation on Wednesday, but the Yankees can skip it with an off-day next Monday. Carl Pavano, on the DL with right shoulder tendinitis, could return when the spot comes around again on July 30.
"It's better to go up and down than to never go up at all," Small said. "No matter how many times it happens, it's always exciting to get called up to the big leagues. This is where you want to be."
Red Sox Coverage
• Ninth-inning rally comes up short
• Molitor makes pitch against cancer
• Notes: Teammates in awe of Damon
Yankees Coverage
• Leiter, long balls lift Yankees past Sox
• Notes: Small gets the call to rotation
Season Series
• 07/16: Yankees 7, Red Sox 4
• 07/15: Red Sox 17, Yankees 1
• 07/14: Yankees 8, Red Sox 6
• 05/29: Red Sox 7, Yankees 2
• 05/28: Red Sox 17, Yankees 1
• 05/27: Yankees 6, Red Sox 3
• 04/14: Red Sox 8, Yankees 5
• 04/13: Yankees 5, Red Sox 2
• 04/11: Red Sox 8, Yankees 1
• 04/06: Red Sox 7, Yankees 3
• 04/05: Yankees 4, Red Sox 3
• 04/03: Yankees 9, Red Sox 2
Center of attention: Melky Cabrera's days with the Yankees may be numbered for now, as the team will be making several roster moves in the coming days.
Bernie Williams started in center on Sunday for a second straight day, prompting speculation that Cabrera may be sent back to the Minors early this week.
"The most important thing for him is to get at-bats and play," Torre said. "Over the next couple of days, we'll probably be moving some people around."
Among those moves will be the return of Felix Rodriguez from the DL, which will likely mean a return to Triple-A for Jason Anderson. Rodriguez threw a scoreless inning for Double-A Trenton on Sunday, and he will be activated for Tuesday's game.
Brown's return could spell the end of Darrell May's career, while Bubba Crosby, who is eligible to return to the Yankees on Monday, could replace Cabrera.
"He's certainly a possibility," Torre said of Crosby. "He's proven here that he can play defense very well, and though he hasn't hit, he hasn't been asked to."
If Cabrera is sent down, Williams will likely see the bulk of the playing time in center, though Womack will play a few games to give Williams a rest.
"We certainly have to keep in mind that we need to spell [Williams] once in a while," Torre said. "Womack can do that if we decide that the kid needs to be somewhere else."
Sanchez done? Sanchez, on the DL since early June with a cervical sprain and vertigo, may not return this season, according to Cashman.
"I don't know if he's going to come back," Cashman said. "He hasn't made any progress with the disc issue, and they feel he might have damaged a nerve. If that's the case, he could be down the whole season."
With only Womack on the roster as a backup infielder, the Yankees could bring up Felix Escalona from Columbus, though Cashman said that is not likely to happen during the road trip.
Happy birthday, Joe: Torre turns 65 on Monday, and as has been his custom in recent years, he will spend the day with his brother-in-law, Jimmy, whose birthday was on Sunday.
"Other people say, 'Wow! That's a big birthday!'" Torre said. "You can celebrate it for a long time, as long as they don't count any more than one year for it."
Torre said that birthdays used to bother him, but ever since he battled cancer in 1999, he has a new perspective on the issue.
"When I was 58, I was thinking about being 60, which was really traumatic for me," Torre said. "Then I had cancer, and you realize that age is very insignificant, that every year has absolutely nothing to do with getting older. You realize how important every day, week and month is.
"I feel good, and that's how I base my age," he added. "If I don't feel good one day, I blame it on age."
Slow market: Cashman said he spent a lot of time on the phone with other GMs on Sunday, but he doesn't anticipate making any trades in the near future.
According to Cashman, many teams are simply asking too much for their players in this thin market, while others haven't decided whether they will be buyers or sellers before the July 31 trade deadline.
"I was busy [Sunday], talking, but I have nothing to report," Cashman said. "I'm not close to doing anything as of today."
On deck: The Yankees open a three-game series in Texas on Monday, as Brown returns to the mound after a month on the DL. The Rangers send Ricardo Rodriguez to the mound.
Mark Feinsand is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.