Kevin

Thompson

Thompson might be a better player right now than either Melky Cabrera or Bubba Crosby, but he didn’t get a chance to prove it. He went 3-for-11 with a homer and four RBI in 17 days with the Yankees.

Thompson is 3-for-8 with four RBI and three walks since being called up nine days ago. The Yankees should begin to give him more starts at Bernie Williams’ expense. He might prove to be a better hitter this year than either Williams or Melky Cabrera.

Thompson apparently would have been up earlier, but he was dealing with a hamstring injury that limited him in the outfield. He was hitting .288/.380/.453 in 139 at-bats for Columbus. He’d be a better choice than Terrence Long for at-bats while Gary Sheffield is out, but he still might not play much initially. AL-only leaguers should take a wait-and-see approach.

Thompson also walked in the contest and was coming off a 1-for-4 with a walk performance in his lone start in the majors yesterday. He deserves to play more than Terrence Long while Gary Sheffield is out, but we’re still skeptical that will happen.

With Johnny Damon out, Thompson is getting a start in right field against Scott Kazmir tonight. He could play again with the Rays throwing another left-hander on Sunday, but he might return to the minors when another pitcher is needed after the break.

Thompson has shown improvements at Triple-A this season, hitting .265 with a .345 OBP in 91 games. He showed some pop in a brief July callup with the Yanks.

With the Randy Winn trade rumors fading(and Tony Womack back in center field), it is looking less likely that Yankees will get an upgrade from outside the organization. Thompson, who played in the Futures Game earlier this month, is hitting .329 with 13 homers, 53 RBI and 35 steals between Double-A and Triple-A. Thompson, who is 25-years-old, stole 63 bags in 2003 and 37 bases in an injury-marred 2004 campaign.

The Yankees are going to use Johnny Damon as their DH most of the time, so they’re choosing Thompson over Andy Phillips. He probably won’t get enough playing time to amass any fantasy value.

So, not only do the Yankees bypass Andy Phillips for Chris Basak, but they also demote their one remaining bench player with the tiniest shred of major league offensive ability? Thompson didn’t have an at-bat in his four days with the Yankees.

They may carry him for a while this time, but it remains to be seen if the Yankees will ever give Thompson a chance to contribute. He has a chance to be a long-term reserve, but he’ll probably need to do it elsewhere.