Aceves' versatility out of 'pen, familiarity appeals

NEW YORK -- Alfredo Aceves wasn't with his teammates Friday night, but he had a short night's sleep for solidarity. Aceves, recalled from Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, said that he got the call at 1 a.m. ET and had to get to the airport by 4 a.m. in order to reach the Yankees on time.

Aceves, who arrived at Yankee Stadium at around 9 a.m., had a 1.98 ERA in three appearances at Triple-A, and he'll replace Chris Leroux in the Yankees' bullpen. Manager Joe Girardi said the Yankees are familiar with Aceves from his previous tenure in New York and that he can help in several ways.

"I want him to be a guy we can use in a lot of different areas," he said. "Obviously, today he's our long man just in case we need somebody, but a guy that we could use for two innings or three innings. We can use him in a lot of different ways, and that's the guy that we had before. That's what we want."

Aceves logged a 14-1 record and a 3.21 ERA in 59 appearances with New York in 2008, '09 and '10, and he pitched two scoreless innings in the 2009 World Series win over the Phillies. Aceves next moved to Boston, where he started and closed in a limited capacity over the last three years.

"It's a guy that's extremely competitive," said Girardi. "Sometimes, the competitiveness can get the best of him a little bit. But it's a guy that I really believe knows how to pitch and can help out a club. He was very successful here when we had him, and then he took on some new roles in different places and bounced around a little bit. He took on the closer role, which he had never had before."

Aceves made just 11 appearances in the Majors last season, and the Yankees hope to see the right-hander re-establish himself in familiar surroundings. Aceves, much like his teammates, didn't get to sleep much on Friday night, but he's hoping to earn a good night's rest on Saturday.

"I'm pretty excited," he said Saturday. "We've got long way to keep working."