"Difficult decision" - Aaron Boone reflects on Yankees' tough choice to DFA Michael Tonkin

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone has opened up on the club's decision to list Michael Tonkin as designated for assignment (DFA). The move came after the team signed 29-year-old Phil Bickford to a contract.

Tonkin was having somewhat of a rough stretch in the last few appearances for the Bronx Bombers. In the last 7 innings that he pitched, the 34-year-old had an ERA of 9.39. He also gave up multiple runs in his last few appearances, the most recent one came Saturday during the team's 9-2 defeat against the Colorado Rockies where two crucial runs scored.

During today's pre-game press conference, the team's manager Aaron Boone reflected on Tonkin being assigned DFA. Boone said it was a tough decision to make but the team just wants to have a bit more coverage at this stage of the season.

"Yeah, tough one today. I mean, Tonk's been great. He pitched well for us. He's been a great teammate, so, difficult decision there."

"Just felt like we're probably in a little bit, potentially, leaving ourselves short -- not necessarily today, but in any kind of scenario, today, probably having a few guys down, including what would've been Tonk, where we would've have to use a lot of different guys that probably puts us in a bad spot tomorrow."

"So just felt like we needed a little more coverage today is really what it comes down to."

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Aaron Boone lauds Phil Bickford, names him the "right guy" after Michael Tonkin was DFA'd

Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised Phil Bickford for his performance in Triple-A, calling him the right guy to be added at this stage of the season. Bickford is replacing veteran pitcher Michael Tonkin in the team's active roster.

"He's been doing a nice job and he's got some length to him, probably give us a couple innings if we needed it. Obviously, there's a number of people in the conversation to that. But he's right now, it seemed like the right guy to take."

This is Bickford's second stint with the Yankees. The first time he was called up to Yankee Stadium, he pitched five innings with an ERA of 14.40 and a WHIP of 1.80. He gave up nine runs and eight hits, with just four strikeouts and one walk.

In July, he joined the Triple-A team in Scranton, where he played 34 games. The 29-year-old right-handed pitcher has an ERA of 3.00, and a WHIP of 1.13.