Aaron

Small

Small has victories in each of his three starts. He’ll get at least one more start before Carl Pavano returns, and at this point, the Yankees have to be leaning toward keeping him over Al Leiter. Still, he’s not a very good pickup in AL-only leagues. He’ll likely get the White Sox next.

Small is expected to remain in the pen, assuming that Randy Johnson can make his scheduled start on Tuesday.

It’s believed the Yankees are leaning toward putting Jaret Wright into Small’s spot in the rotation next week, but with a 2.67 ERA in 27 innings, Small isn’t going quietly. He’s unlikely to keep this up for much longer, but he does look like a better bet than Al Leiter.

We should know more on Tuesday’s starter after Johnson throws on the side this weekend.

He will be back in the rotation as soon as one of the Yankee’s starters has to miss a start.

Maybe a future member of the Red Sox? Small had actually pitched better lately, allowing two runs over 5 1/3 innings in his last three relief appearances. Overall, he was 0-3 with an 8.46 ERA in three starts and eight relief appearances. He’s a Triple-A pitcher who just happened to have the best stretch of his career when the Yankees called him up last year.

Small’s next start will come Tuesday against the Tigers, which is a bad matchup for him.

Nine hits, three of which were homers, did Small in today. The right-hander is 0-3 with a 9.67 ERA in three starts and five relief appearances this season. Shawn Chacon will be back in the rotation this week, so Small will head to the bullpen.

Small gave up consecutive singles and then back-to-back homers to Carlos Delgado and David Wright to begin the fourth inning. He hung around to get four more outs after that, but the Yankees never overcame the deficit. It appears likely that Small will get one more start in place of the injured Shawn Chacon, but he’s not worth using in fantasy leagues.

Small probably would have been grabbed if he was making the minimum. Since his surpising 2005 earned him a $1.2 million contract, he was able to clear waivers. He’s already said he’ll accept the assignment to Columbus.