Brian Cashman admits that he may be stuck with the rotation he has

Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York reports that the Yankees may be going into the 2011 season with the rotation they currently have: Sabathia, Hughes, Burnett and … filler:

Having finished second, or maybe third, in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, theYankees are prepared to go into the 2011 season with a pitching rotation of CC Sabathia,A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes , with the remaining spots filled out by youngsters, many of whom have never pitched above the Triple-A level.

“I’m not saying I want to do it,” general manager Brian Cashman said in a telephone conversation Monday morning, “but I may have to do it … If we get Pettitte back, so much the better. But I’m not waiting for him. He told me not to.”

There was a time when we’d say “oh, that’s just Cashman talking baloney. Watch: the Yankees will make a big splash this week and make us all seem like fools.” Based on how this offseason has gone, however, we’re not in that world anymore.

Pablo Sandoval could be tabbed to play second base in the near future, per a report from John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. According to Shea, Sandoval has been spotted taking grounders at second during pre-game warm-ups and may be considering switching to the keystone on a part-time basis.

It wouldn’t be the weirdest thing the 31-year-old corner infielder has done this year — that distinction goes to the flawless inning of relief he pitched in a blowout loss against the Dodgers last month. But it would represent a pretty notable departure from his comfort zone even so; Sandoval has primarily manned first and third base throughout his 11-year career in the majors and has also taken a few reps at DH during his resurgence with the Giants in 2018.

Of course, this wouldn’t necessarily be a permanent switch for Sandoval. As Shea points out, the Giants are thin on middle infielders after losing Joe Panik to a torn UCL in his left thumb and backup Alen Hanson to a left hamstring strain. Provided he can get up to speed quickly (no easy feat, according to infield coach Ron Wotus), he’d give the club some added depth behind Kelby Tomlinson and Miguel Gomez until Panik is ready to take the field again. Sandoval has impressed at the plate this spring, batting a healthy .270/.329/.429 with six extra-base hits and a .757 through 70 plate appearances.