In return to New York Yankees, Phil Hughes delivers vintage performance

by Marc Carig

Almost exactly two years ago, in only his second major league start, Phil Hughes was no-hitting the Texas Rangers when he felt a pop in his hamstring, which forced him to leave before he could complete his bid. In one evening, Hughes had seemingly captured what would become the essence of his career, his significant talent trumped by injury.

But what stood out was how dominant Hughes looked before he got hurt that night. Once named the best right-handed pitching prospect in all of baseball, he was as good as the hype had promised.

"It seems like a long time ago," Hughes said, looking back at the last time he felt as good as he did on Tuesday.

Indeed, since that electrifying coming out party, the mega-talent Hughes has endured a baseball odyssey filled with injuries, struggles, setbacks, and now after what he did on Tuesday night against the Tigers, perhaps redemption.

Read Full Stoty

New York Yankees option pitcher Phil Hughes to minor leagues

by Marc Carig

TAMPA, Fla. - The New York Yankees optioned pitcher Phil Hughes to Triple-A Scanton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, ending what had been a strong major league camp in which the right-hander showed the first signs of bouncing back from a rough year.

Hughes pitched to a 2.19 ERA in four appearances (three starts) that covered 12 1/3 innings. But the move comes as no surprise as the Yankees want to keep Hughes as a starting pitcher, and the only opening on the major league roster is for a long reliever.

The Yankees also made several other moves on Saturday. New York optioned pitchers Anthony Claggett and Steven Jackson to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, optioned pitcher Humberto Sanchez to Double-A Trenton, and reassigned pitchers Jason Johnson and Sergio Mitre to minor league camp.