Indications were the three-season Independent Baseball backstop might only be with the M's a short time while starter Miguel Olivo overcomes hamstring issues, and it always seems such a heart tug when a first-time major leaguer does not get into a game before being returned to the minor leagues. One never knows if or when the next big-league call will come.
I know of three previous times this has happened, including earlier this season when Cincinnati elevated lefty Tom Cochran, a veteran of the Can-Am (Worcester), Atlantic (Lancaster) and Frontier (Ohio Valley and Washington) Leagues, from Louisville for two days without using him in a game. In the previous two cases, the pitcher never did get another major league opportunity. Those victims were Tim Bausher (Berkshire, Northeast League) with Boston and southpaw Brian Mazone (Zion, Western League, and Joliet, Northern League) with Philadelphia.
"I think he's (Olivo) going to be okay," Seattle Manager Eric Wedge told MLB.com. "He feels pretty good, but we wanted to get Yepez up here to make sure we were covered in case something happens."
Yepez, a Venezuelan native, played with Gary of the Northern League in both 2005 and 2007 and was with Pensacola of the American Association in '06. The 11-year pro was hitting .276 in 28 games for Triple-A Tacoma. Veteran Josh Bard, who also joined Seattle Wednesday, was listed as the starting catcher for Friday's game against the San Diego Padres. The regular backup, Chris Gimenez, is on the disabled list.
REQUEST A FREE WEEK OF THE INDEPENDENT BASEBALL INSIDER
Get the independent minor league baseball trivia question of the day by clicking this link: Independent Minor League Baseball Trivia Questions
No comments:
Post a Comment