After spending two weeks in the Yankee bullpen, Chien-Ming Wang is ready to make his return to the Yankees starting rotation.In an extremly tough decision, Yankee brass decided to move Phil Hughes out of the starting rotation and into that long relief roll that Wang had strangely inherited once he came off the DL. Hughes has pitched well for the most part, posting a 3-2 record with a 5.45 ERA, with 31 strikeouts to 15 walks.
Hughes' latest start against the Cleveland Indians, in which he surrendered four runs in five innings, may have done him in. Nonetheless, the move is a bit surprising since Hughes has owned the Texas Rangers. Hughes is 2-0 against them with a 0.00 ERA, including a shutout on Memorial Day over a week ago.
As for Wang, he started the year 0-3 with a 34.00 ERA. He was horrendous in his first three starts, surrendering 23 runs in just six innings of work. Since his return, Wang has allowed only two runs over eight relief innings. The Yankees are hopeful that Wang can return to his old form now that he is back in the rotation.
Still, this will bring up an interesting debate for days and possibly weeks to come. Hughes should be a starter, and the last thing the Yankees can afford to do is lose a 23 year old kid because of a demotion to the pen. It is not likely Hughes will be the new eighth inning set up man or closer. He will be forced into middle relief if there is a blow out.
What the Yankees will have to consider is whether to move Joba Chamberlain, who used to be a great set up man for Mariano Rivera in 2007, out of the rotation and back into the pen and plug Hughes back into the Chamberlain's rotation spot. That is a debate that will rage for Yankee fans for awhile until management starts paying attention.
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