It costs nearly $200 to Uber from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to The Bronx — and the Yankees know that more than anyone.
Every other day, it seems a member of the Triple-A troops is being requested to supplement the latest Yankee headed to the haunted injured list.
That Yankee on Saturday was James Paxton, and so reliever Jake Barrett likely headed into the club’s apparent rideshare of choice — just ask Tyler Wade — and made his way to the city for the afternoon game against the Minnesota Twins.
Paxton, the club’s de facto ace in the midst of Luis Severino’s seasonlong absence, headed to the injured list with left knee inflammation after exiting his start just three innings in the night before.
Barrett, 26, was claimed off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates in early April, and is 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 16 strikeouts in eight appearances with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
After showing flashes for the Arizona Diamondbacks as a rookie in 2016, the right-hander has tailed off and turned into a semi-journeyman. He adds insurance to the back end of the bullpen for now, as the Yankees weigh their options to replace Paxton the next turn in the rotation.
The leading candidate might be Jonathan Loáisiga, who has bounced between the minors and big leagues this season, and is scheduled to start for the RailRiders on Sunday. The Yankees could also dip into the free-agent market, where Dallas Keuchel still resides, but it’s believed they haven’t shown much interest in the former Cy Young winner.
For every Yankee to hit the injured list, the club has stayed afloat thanks to its minor-leaguers. Barrett, and likely Loáisiga, are just the next men on deck.


