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Annual Briggs Farm Blues Festival to take place in Nescopeck July 6 to 9

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SWB RailRiders 3B Tyler Wade swipes 3 bags in win over Pawtucket Red Sox

<p>MOOSIC &#8212; It&#8217;s been a long road back to the big leagues for Tyler Austin, but he&#8217;s finally done it. And it couldn&#8217;t have come at a better time.</p><p>The 25-year-old first baseman is sporting a .294 batting average with three doubles, a triple, three home runs and 15 RBI in his last 10 games. In fact, Austin owns a .327 batting average dating back to June 9, with seven multi-hit games during the stretch.</p><p>&#8220;I feel really good,&#8221; Austin said after Tuesday&#8217;s doubleheader, when he went 1 for 4 with a home run and 3 RBI. &#8220;I feel like I&#8217;ve run into some really tough luck, even (last weekend) in Buffalo and bringing it back here, but I feel good and I&#8217;m going to try to build off of that and go from there.&#8221;</p><p>Since he&#8217;s been with the RailRiders, Austin&#8217;s always mentioned how important it has been to get his timing back. He said last week how just needed to continue to get reps both in the field and at the plate.</p><p>With a .314 batting average in 100 minor league at-bats this season, Austin has proved to the Yankees that he&#8217;s ready for another taste of the Bronx.</p><p>&#8220;I think it&#8217;s more of just getting reps and picking up spin of the ball and swinging at pitches in the zone,&#8221; Austin said. &#8220;I feel like that&#8217;s the big thing for me right now and it&#8217;s what I&#8217;m trying to do every time I go up there.&#8221;</p><p>Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders hitting coach P.J. Pilittere was helping Austin shorten his swing last week, in an effort to decrease his strikeout rate.</p><p>Since Pilittere put Austin through the net drill prior to batting practice on June 14, the first baseman is hitting .315 with nine strikeouts in 34 plate appearances. Overall, Austin struck out 32 times in his 112 plate appearances with the RailRiders.</p><p>&#8220;He&#8217;s just getting his rhythm and timing back,&#8221; Pilittere said. &#8220;This guy last year was one of the best guys I&#8217;ve ever had at a two-strike approach and a two-strike adjustment. He just refused to swing at balls that weren&#8217;t strikes, and then when he did swing he was hitting it hard somewhere. He was the most-consistent guy hitting the ball hard last year that I&#8217;ve ever seen, and I think that&#8217;s part of just the reps.&#8221;</p><p>With first baseman Chris Carter getting designated for assignment, as the corresponding move with Austin&#8217;s promotion, and Greg Bird still on the disabled list, Austin is the Yankees&#8217; first baseman for the foreseeable future.</p><p>The only other player with starts at first base on the 25-man roster is Matt Holliday, who has seven. Considering Holliday is 37 years old and has only played in at least 150 games in a season once since 2014, the Yankees will likely continue to deploy him as the everyday designated hitter. Austin should get the majority of the reps at first base.</p><p>Austin can also play in the outfield. He played right field Friday night, when he went 2 for 4 with a double, a walk, two runs scored and 2 RBI.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders first baseman Tyler Austin was called up by the New York Yankees after Friday's game. Yankees first baseman Chris Carter was designated for assignment. Bill Tarutis file photo | For Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/web1_TTL062117RailRiders_32017624271654.jpg</photo0><caption0>Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders first baseman Tyler Austin was called up by the New York Yankees after Friday's game. Yankees first baseman Chris Carter was designated for assignment. Bill Tarutis file photo | For Times Leader</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By DJ Eberle</p><p>djeberle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach DJ Eberle at 570-991-6398 or on Twitter @ByDJEberle</p></shirttailMeta></div>

SWB RailRiders 1B Tyler Austin going back to New York