With Cervelli Injured, Future is Now for the Yankees!

Backup catcher Francisco Cervelli learned on Friday that he has a broken bone in his foot and will be out a minimum of four weeks. With this injury, there now is a vacancy at the second catcher slot behind Russell Martin.

So is it finally time for the New York Yankees to turn to their highly rated young prospect Jesus Montero?

Yes! The future has to start now for the Yankees! They have kept Jesus Montero under wraps for a handful of years now developing down in their minor league system. The kid put up some stellar numbers with his bat last season and in past seasons in the minors. But his defense has always been put into question. At one point, rumors were swirling that the Yankees would turn Montero into a first basemen/catcher like Victor Martinez is due to his defensive struggles. But so far in spring training, Montero has been a pleasant bright spot with his defensive display in front of coaches and his manager Joe Girardi. This has given the club a new glimmer of hope that he can successfully fill that backup catcher roll with the big club in the Bronx.

To me, the Yankees HAVE TO  let Jesus Montero play. He needs to gain big league playing experience

and they need to advance him instead of keeping on holding him back. Last season he hit .289 with 21homers, 75 RBI, and an on-base percentage of .353! Clearly the kid has power and compared to Cervelli's .271 with no home runs and 38 RBI. So utilizing Montero would not only give the Yankees a boost in their lineup but also allow Montero to gain that major league experience and allow him to learn about playing life in the majors. Only danger for the Yankees is if Montero can't hit in the majors and becomes a complete dud, which will obviously diminish his trade value. But the odds of that happening are slim to none judging from Montero's track record up to this point. So the future has to start right now for Bronx Bombers!