NEW YORK -- The Yankees made a trio of roster moves before Monday's series opener against the Royals, highlighted by the reinstatement of left-hander Aroldis Chapman, who made his Yanks debut in the ninth inning of Monday's 6-3 win.
Chapman, acquired from Cincinnati this offseason for four Minor Leaguers, was reinstated from Major League Baseball's restricted list after serving a 30-game suspension for violating MLB's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse policy.
Right-hander Johnny Barbato was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to make room for Chapman. In addition, righty Branden Pinder was transferred to the 60-day disabled list to make space for Chapman on the Yankees' 40-man roster.
Barbato and Girardi agreed that the stint back in Triple-A will be good for the 23-year-old, as it will be an opportunity to work on locating his slider, something he's been struggling with over his past couple of outings. Barbato struck out 15 batters in 13 innings across 12 appearances this season, but he seemed to lose control in recent outings, allowing five runs over his past 2 1/3 innings.
Barbato said that he expects to toss longer outings in Triple-A, looking to rekindle confidence in his slider with higher pitch counts. And to Girardi, finding that confidence is key.
"His slider kind of got away from him. And I think with young kids, at times, when you struggle a little bit, things can speed up a little bit," Girardi said. "Obviously, you've got to remember who you are and what your stuff is. And it's not easy when you're that young. I thought he did a really good job and I think he's made great strides, and I think he's really going to add to this bullpen in the future."