Yanks call up Peña, DFA Kevin Russo, claim RHP Jess Todd

The Yanks made a few minor moves this afternoon as they have officially called up Ramiro Peña to replace the injured Eric Chavez on the roster. They have also designated Kevin Russo for assignment and picked up right-handed reliever Jess Todd off of waivers from the Indians. Russo, 26 and an off-season trade candidate, was hitting just .230/.306/.300 at AAA and had been taking up precious space on the team’s 40-man. The move to pick up Todd though is a strange one. Todd, once the St. Louis Cardinals’ minor league pitcher of the year, was a second round pick back in 2007, but despite minor league success, he has allowed 24 earned runs in 28.1 Major League innings. Still, he has posted over a strike out per inning and is only 25.