Austin Jackson to be called up?

Written by Greg Fertel | 15 April 2009

Austin Jackson, the Yankees' top position prospect, was replaced after 3 innings in centerfielder today by Todd Linden in Scranton's game. I haven't heard any news about him getting injured (and hopefully that's not the case). Xavier Nady going on the DL means that the Yankees will need an outfielder, and considering that Jackson is off to a scalding .480 start, they might be tempted to give him a shot.

I have mixed feelings about promoting Jackson so early: he still has issues with strikeouts and his offensive game could use more polish, but he is hitting very well in AAA, and he certainly could be better than Melky Cabrera right now. I hope he is not getting promoted to sit on the bench until Nady comes back, because that would stunt his development. I am curious where in the outfield he will play if he is called up. He could be an offensive upgrade over Brett Gardner in center, and a defensive upgrade over Damon or Swisher if he plays on the corner. I'll update if there is any news, it could just be speculation on my part.

Edit: Kevin Russo was also pulled from the game, and he could serve as a possible utilityman.

Update 3:35 PM: I might have jumped the gun on Jackson getting promoted. Apparently he was hit by a pitch earlier in the game, so it's possible he was removed for that reason. I'll update as I find out more, but hopefully he's not hurt.