Phelps replaces Garcia in rotation

"Bullpen,'' pitcher Freddy Garcia lamented Sunday upon getting word that he had been demoted from the Yankees' starting rotation.

Garcia (0-2, 12.51 ERA) allowed six runs before getting six outs Saturday, the second consecutive game in which he didn't make it through two innings.

He will be replaced in the rotation by rookie long reliever David Phelps and, he admitted, he had been expecting bad news.

"If you pitch the way I pitch, yes,'' he said. "I'm not surprised."

In addition, righthander Cody Eppley was optioned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and righthander D.J. Mitchell, 24, was called up from Scranton.

Mitchell had a 2-1 record and 3.13 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 23 innings. He was the Yankees' minor-league pitcher of the year in 2011 (13-9, 3.18).

He had been, manager Joe Girardi said, extremely close to making the big-league roster after spring training -- though Phelps got that nod over Mitchell and Adam Warren -- and Mitchell said he would "be asking Phelps a lot of questions'' about life with the Yankees.

"It's great any time you're in consideration for a starting role on this team,'' said Phelps, who has a 3.57 ERA in six games. "It's a big deal. The quality of arms they have on this team, I don't take this lightly.''

Girardi called Phelps "a guy who's got four pitches, he can locate his fastball, can throw the changeup or curveball at any time he wants to."

As for Garcia, who was 12-8 with a 3.62 ERA for the Yankees last season, "sometimes you go and find a way to fix things in the bullpen,'' Girardi said.

Garcia, 35, said he "will be OK. When you're in the bullpen, you're in the bullpen. Right now, it's a part of my life I have to deal with. We'll see what happens.''