A.J. Burnett has endured some rocky times since joining the Yankees in 2008. And now, there are some who believe the right-hander should be removed from the New York rotation, which prompted general manager Brian Cashman to rush to the starter's defense.
Cashman called fan reaction to Burnett's performance and the media's portrayal of it "well overblown" and called the suggestion that he come out of the rotation "a bunch of crap," according to the New York Daily News.
"A.J. Burnett is not pitching close to as bad as people reflect. And they got him pulled out of the rotation. I just think it's a stupid reaction," he said.
Burnett is 8-9 with a 4.60 ERA this season, a year after he lost a career-high 15 games and posted the highest ERA of his 13-year career (5.26).
The Yankees' rotation is currently comprised of six starters, although the team plans to go back to a five-man rotation during the upcoming week.
