Yankees notes, July 8

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- After missing two games with a stiff neck, Andy Phillips was back in the Yankees' starting lineup on Sunday, batting ninth and playing first base. The tightness in Phillips' neck was just another blip in his hardship-riddled season.
But what a difference five months can make. From Spring Training to the Yankees' final week of the first half of the season, Phillips went from being cut to being named the regular first baseman.
Phillips never really had chance to catch on with the Yankees out of Spring Training because he was attending to his mother, Linda, who had been seriously injured on Feb. 28 when a tractor trailer slammed into the driver's side of her vehicle. Josh Phelps swung a hot bat during Phillips' absence and won a roster spot over Phillips.
"He's been through a lot," Yankees captain Derek Jeter said of Phillips. "You could never tell by talking to him or being around him. He doesn't really bring it up too much unless you bring it up. But it is a great story."
The "great" part comes in the next chapter of Phillips' 2007 season, which could be titled "From waiver wire to big-time flier."
Phillips made it through waivers after coming up short in Spring Training, and he then lit up Triple-A pitching. Based on a 500 at-bat Minor League season, Phillips was on pace for a .301 average with 22 home runs, 22 doubles and 72 RBIs with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The Yankees called up Phillups on June 19 after designating Phelps for assignment, and he's been taking full advantage of the opportunity.
Torre dubbed Phillips the everyday first baseman after the Yankees' 7-6 win over the Twins on Thursday. To that point, Phillips had batted .286 with one home run, two doubles and five RBIs.
"He's in every day," Torre said.
Last year, Phillips said he that pushed to make something happen during every at-bat "or else." The pressure mounted and his numbers dipped. But now, he's taking the same approach he had in Triple-A earlier this season: Play hard, play to win and then go for a stroll in the park.
"When I told [friends and family] that I was coming back up, the last phrase that every one of them told me was, 'Have fun,'" Phillips said. "And for some reason, that phrase clicked in my head."
Phillips is enjoying every minute with the Yankees, and he looks to only improve as the team embarks on the second half of the season.
"It's a night-and-day difference," he said. "There are times when you question if you're ever going to get back here. But to go down there and work and fight through a lot of things and come back here and really take a different mind-set than I have in the past [made me] relax and have fun playing baseball."
Roster move to come: Torre said that he'll talk with general manager Brian Cashman during the All-Star break about adding another Triple-A position player to the Yankees' bench in exchange for a reliever.
Torre said he isn't sure if the team will make the move prior to the Yankees' first game after the Midsummer Classic -- on Thursday against the Devil Rays in St. Petersburg -- or give it more time.
"We'll decide if we'll open the second half that way or sit on it a day or so," Torre said. "But, yes, we would like to get us some more flexibility on the bench.
"We already have an extra outfielder on the bench and we have one DHing, so a swing guy would probably help us. The type of guy we had here before, with [Chris] Basak -- whether it's him or not -- remains to be seen."
Edwar's glasses: Edwar Ramirez grabbed his sporty-looking, silver-rimmed Oakley glasses out of a small black pouch on Sunday before stretching. Ramirez won't have to worry about his teammates borrowing them because he uses prescription glasses. How bad is his vision?
"Look at that," said Ramirez, pointing to the thickness of the glass. "I mean, look at that!"
Torre is burning? With the premier of the ESPN miniseries "The Bronx is Burning" on Monday, Torre joked that he won't be one of its viewers.
"I didn't get an invitation. Is that ESPN?" Torre said, evoking laughs from a group of reporters. "I burned long before the Bronx did in their eyes."
Bombers bits: On Saturday, Jeff Karstens made his first Minor League rehab start since breaking his right leg on April 28 in a game against the Red Sox. He allowed three hits and a walk to go along with three strikeouts in 3 1/3 scoreless innings against Phillies Minor Leaguers. ... Torre confirmed what the Yankees' rotation will look like after the All-Star break. Andy Pettitte will start the first game back on Thursday and will be followed by Roger Clemens, Chien-Ming Wang and Mike Mussina. Kei Igawa will start when the Yankees return home the following Monday, July 16, against the Blue Jays.
Coming up: Pettitte (4-6, 4.25 ERA) will lead the Yankees' second-half charge against James Shields (7-4, 3.82 ERA) and the Devil Rays on Thursday in the Yankees' first game back after the All-Star break at 7:10 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field.