Not that I'd expect Cashman to completely put all of his cards on the table and reveal his plans to the media, but when Phil Hughes was placed on the disabled list possibly until July, Cashman was asked this very question.

At this point in the year, a team is forced to explore its own farm system and try to create the answer from within before going outside, which is a rule Cashman said he tries to abide by anyway -- there's no sense in dealing for outside help if a team already has the correct player under its control. You've already seen the Yankees reward Darrell Rasner for his fine April with a callup, and the early returns have been good -- Rasner already has more big league victories this year than Hughes and Ian Kennedy combined.

That said, at this stage, it's perhaps the most challenging time of year to trade for a quality player. It's so early that most teams still consider themselves contenders, and even the ones who deep down know they aren't headed to the playoffs aren't willing to surrender their prime chips when they can create a bigger haul closer to the trade deadline in July.

Jason Giambi is off to yet another slow start. The last several years for him have been plagued with injuries and lack of production. I think we all know this isn't just some slump and that Giambi's days of hitting even close to .300 are over. At what point is Joe Girardi going to make a move at first base and sit Giambi for a guy like Shelley Duncan?
-- Jameson S., Rochester, N.Y.

It doesn't appear that Giambi is in danger of riding the bench anytime soon, and you can certainly make the argument that there are 21 million reasons for that. There's no question that Giambi's performance to this point has been underwhelming, and you could really see it on his face Saturday after he made outs to end three separate innings against Seattle.

Girardi believed after that game that Giambi hit some balls decently, but acknowledged that the frustration seems to be evident. Girardi made sure to compliment Giambi's approach and work and said, "He's going to keep playing. It's going to turn for him." Do I expect Giambi to sniff .300? No. But I do think he'll pop a few homers to help the Yankees when he eventually warms up.

Now that Bobby Murcer is back and feeling better, how long until the voice of Yankee Stadium, Bob Sheppard, rejoins the Yankee family?
-- Matt S., Long Valley, N.J.

The Yankees have said that Sheppard will hopefully be able to resume his duties sometime in June. Until Sheppard completely recovers from the bronchial infection that forced him to miss last year's American League Division Series in October, as well as selected games leading up to the postseason, longtime backup Jim Hall will continue to fill in. Hall does a nice job of replicating Sheppard's clear and concise style. When the visiting writers come into New York, many don't even realize that it's not Sheppard behind the microphone.

Have a question about the Yankees? E-mail your query to MLB.com Yankees beat reporter Bryan Hoch for possible inclusion in a future Inbox column. Letters may be edited for brevity, length and/or content. First Name, Last Initial: Hometown: Email Address: Question:

I am a firm believer that Hughes and Kennedy will come through eventually, but I see Rasner is pitching well, as well as Dan Giese and Steven White. Will they have opportunities this season? Also, are there any updates on Kei Igawa's progress?
-- Brian M., New York, N.Y.

I don't think anyone expected the Yankees to get through the '08 season with only five starters, especially after what happened in the first half of last season. Use Rasner as a perfect example -- here's a guy who was cut loose as a free agent over the winter, but elected to re-sign with the Yankees on a Minor League deal because he knew his opportunity to pitch in the big leagues was arguably better in New York than with any other club he could have signed with. The decision paid dividends on Sunday for Rasner, and it should send a message to the rest of the pitchers. As for Igawa, Cashman said that he would be next in line when the Yankees need a starter to fill Kennedy's spot, which will happen this weekend in Detroit.

I thought that coming out of the Minor Leagues, Hughes' fastball was 95-96 mph. Why is he only being clocked at 91-92?
-- A.J., Salt Lake City

I actually asked Hughes a variation of this question when the Yankees were in Chicago, wondering if he thought the fans and media had something of a misconception about his velocity. Here's how he answered: "I've never thrown that hard. Even when I was going really well in Trenton [in 2006], I looked at the radar-gun readings after every start and I was 93, 94 occasionally. I maybe touched 95 three times the whole year. If it was brought to my attention by Dave [Eiland] or someone, I'd make something of it, but it's not the issue right now."

So there you go.

Robinson Cano had a white-hot spring and now he's found a horrible slump. How do you think he'll get over it? Since he and Cabrera are so close, can Melky get him back to his .290-hitting self? I'm worried because I want him to make the All-Star Game this year, but right now that idea seems really far off.
-- Melissa P., Matawan, N.J.

No one can take Cano's at-bats for him, of course, but Girardi believes it's just a matter of time before Cano starts to hit. He's already starting to have a reputation as a slow starter, but it worked out last year with his strong second half to get his average up to .306. Cano's solo homer Sunday was just his fourth hit in 36 at-bats, but he said that he is not worried, just that he wants to keep getting on base. As for the All-Star Game, fan balloting (vote online here) is open, so have at it.

Why don't the Yanks cut their losses with Giambi like the Blue Jays did with Frank Thomas and then go out and sign Barry Bonds for a million or two? He would be a great hitter with the right-field porch.
-- Andrew M., Oceanside, Calif.

I just don't see it. For one, Giambi doesn't have a $10 million option for next year that vests with playing time, like Thomas did in Toronto. The Yankees are trying to get away from one-dimensional players, and they have plenty of left-handed DH types; ask Hideki Matsui, who is trying to keep a good attitude while being relegated to platoon duty. I'm not sure any big league team will touch the circus that comes along with having Bonds on its roster, especially one that operates in the New York media market, but we'll see.