Is it time for Montero in the Bronx?

The Yankees bench has seemed a bit short this season. Outside of Marcus Thames, the Yankees never have a good hitter to come off the bench. Should the Yankees call up top prospect Jesus Montero? He has been known as a great hitter, and can also be the 3rd catcher on the team. There have been times where the Yankees have pinch-hit for Cervelli with Posada on days that Posada initially got the day off, but they couldn't pinch-run for Posada because he was the last catcher left on the roster. Right now, Ramiro Pena is the 3rd catcher, and he has never played a single professional game at catcher in his life. Would it help to have Montero on the roster? Yes, certainly. But, should he be called up right after the All-Star Break?

Jesus Montero, the top prospect in the Yankees organization according to Baseball America, undoubtedly has the potential to b e a great hitter. In '08 with Low-A Charleston, Montero hit .326 with 34 doubles, 17 homers, 87 RBI, and a .376 OBP in 132 games. In '09, he hit .337 with 25 doubles, 17 homers, 70 RBI, and a .389 OBP between High-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton. But, Montero hasn't done anywhere near as well at Triple-A Scranton-Wilkes Barre, hitting just .252 with 19 doubles, 7 homers, 37 RBI, and a .328 OBP in 79 games. Why promote a .252 hitter to the majors? None of the players promoted by the Yankees to the majors this year who didn't make the team out of spring training have hit under .271 in the minors this season. But, Montero will definitely hit at some point and he'll have to adjust to the majors just like he's been adjusting to Triple-A. He's certainly a better hitter than Ramiro Pena or Kevin Russo. Do the Yankees really need two utility infielders? He has even done pretty well defensively this year, posting a .992 Fld% and a 21% CS% despite not being known as a good defensive catcher! Still, the Yankees will not promote Montero until September at the earliest. He is used to being an everyday player in the minors. But, that stop the Yankees from calling up Curtis, Huffman, Russo, and all these other guys! Well, Montero is a different case. He has no versatility. All he can do is catch and DH. In contrast, Curtis and Huffman play right field and left field, and Russo plays 2nd base, 3rd base, SS, and left field. But, the Yankees still called up Juan Miranda who only plays 1st base and DH! But, that was a different situation, as not only Nick Johnson was hurt, as he is now, but also Curtis Granderson was hurt. The Yankees don't have an open roster spot because of an injury that would allow them to call up Montero without sending someone down. An injury could change things, but at this point, it doesn't make any sense for the Yankees to call up Jesus Montero.