Injury Bug Hitting Yanks Hard

Lately it seems like the Yankees can’t even go a game without someone getting injured. Building injuries like this can really hurt a team, but let’s hope the team pulls through them. Let’s take a look at each injured player.

Chan Ho Park

Park strained his right hamstring on April 15th and has been on the 15-day DL since then. Fortunately, it looks like he may not be there much longer. According to Chad Jennings, Park through 45 pitches in a bullpen session yesterday and is scheduled to do the same tomorrow. This is big step in his recovery, and if all goes well with Park I would expect him back in a week or so.

Curtis Granderson

Granderson was placed on the 15-day DL on May 1st with a grade 2 strain of his left groin. I’ll turn it over to Will Carroll of “Under The Knife” to describe Granderson’s injury…

The Yankees will be without Granderson for about a month with a Grade II groin strain. That’s a reasonable time frame no matter which way you go with the estimate. On one side, you could be optimistic and say that Granderson’s conditioning and strength will help him get back in two to four weeks. On the other hand, caution and some normal setbacks could push it to four to six weeks. There’s not really much more here to clarify; Granderson has a simple groin strain. Until he begins to jog or run, probably mid-month, we won’t know anything new.

I could see Granderson being out for quite a while because he is a player who really relies on his legs and the Yankees won’t want to rush him back and risk a much worse injury.

Jorge Posada

Posada has been staying on the bench lately with mild calf strain. According to Chad Jennings, Posada said yesterday that he expects to play today. However, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Yankees give some extra time to recover.

Mariano Rivera

Rivera has sat out since April 30th with stiffness in his left side, but he appears to be ready to return to action. He was available last night out of the bullpen, although he didn’t see any action. He did however throw in the bullpen during the game, so it seems as if he is not really an issue anymore.

Andy Pettitte

Pettitte last pitched May 5th before he had to prematurely leave that game with stiffness and mild inflammation in his left arm around his elbow. Whenever you hear news like this about a pitcher you have to be worried. Fortunately, the Yankees have so far deemed Pettitte healthy enough not to put him on the DL. Pettitte is scheduled to miss his next start and for now Sergio Mitre will take his spot in the rotation. Hopefully Mitre will only have to make one start and then Pettitte will go back into the rotation.

Nick Johnson

Johnson left last night’s game with a sore right wrist and is headed for the DL. Johnson is scheduled to undergo tests today in New York, and we will hopefully know more after then. Johnson’s right wrist is the same wrist that he injured in 2008 and kept him out for most of the season. Hopefully this isn’t as serious.

Robinson Cano

Cano was hit by a pitch from Josh Beckett on his left knee. Cano left the game shortly after with a bruise on his knee but is not scheduled for any further testing. Don’t expect Cano to play today, but for now it doesn’t look like he’ll be out for an extended period of time.

Roster Moves

With injuries usually come roster moves, and we should be seeing some moves today. While I can’t say for sure what the Yankees will do, I think they will call up Kevin Russo to be the backup infielder with Ramiro Pena as the starting second baseman for now. If the Yankees want to play it safe in the outfield they could recall Greg Golson who was sent down before yesterday’s game. While players usually have to wait 10 days in the minors before they can be called up again, with Nick Johnson going on the DL the Yankees can bring Golson right back up if they wish. If they decide to the call up Golson then he would take Johnson’s roster spot, and they could send Boone Logan or David Robertson down and use that spot to call up Kevin Russo.

"Call Doctor Robert, we need his help."

Update

Kevin Russo has indeed been called up. Robinson Cano is back in the lineup today as the DH according to Chad Jennings. Jennings also reports that Nick Johnson has a torn tendon in his wrist, I’m no doctor, but I’d expect him to be out for a few months if this is the case.

2nd Update

Looking back at Jennings’ post, it appears he has changed Nick Johnson’s torn tendon, to Nick Johnson’s inflamed tendon. That’s good news.

Game 51: Yankees at Indians

The Yankees are sending out a bit of a different lineup tonight up against Cleveland’s southpaw Jeremy Sowers, so let’s start with that via PeteAbe:

SS Derek Jeter

RF Nick Swisher

1B Mark Teixeira

DH Alex Rodriguez

C Jorge Posada

2B Robinson Cano

LF Melky Cabrera

3B Angel Berroa

CF Brett Gardner

And on the mound, Joba Chamberlain

I told you it was “different”

I don’t particulary like tonight’s lineup. For more than one reason too. I don’t that Nick Swisher, who these days can not buy a hit, is batting 2nd. I don’t like that Johnny Damon isn’t in there, but maybe he needs a day off. Most of all, I do not like that Angel Berroa is playing third with Alex DH’ing. I have no problem with Alex DH’ing every once in a while, but I do have a problem with Angel Berroa as the starting third baseman. Why can’t Ramiro Pena play, by sitting him you are just retarding his development, and it’s not like he has shown no signs of life at the plate. I just don’t get it. Hey, lets look on the brightside…

Melky Cabrera is back

Yep, that is the bright side. He is back in the lineup tonight, after injuring his shoulder in Texas.

Let’s hope for a good one

I hope Joba goes out there tonight and puts some of the bullpen advocates to rest, however Joba has not fared well against the Indians in his career (10.2 innings, 8 earned runs) and it is silly to think that anything can put the so called B-Jobbers (by River Ave Blues) to rest. Well, hopefully the strange lineup can help the Yankees pitchers out tonight.

Bad news on the injury front

Jose Molina and Xavier Nady both had setbacks today. Jose re-injured his strained left quad, and will probably not return anytime soon. It was just yesterday when the Yankees thought he would return within a week. Nady began a throwing program today but he had to stop because he felt discomfort in his right elbow. He’ll try again tomorrow, but this isn’t a good sign.

Update 8:02
3 innings in the book. Joba has been perfect so far. 1-0 Yanks.

Wang and Ransom placed on the DL, Bruney has a “cranky elbow”

According to Bryan Hoch and the Yankees official site, Chien-Ming Wang and Cody Ransom have been placed on the 15 day DL. 

Why does this always happen to me?

Wang has weakness in the adductor muscles of both his hips. Dr. Mark Lindsay, who is working with ARod in Tampa, was the one who discovered Wang’s hip weakness. Supposedly, the weakness is a kinetic effect of Wang’s lisfranc fracture suffered last year. When Brian Cashman was asked when can Wang be expected to rejoin the big league team, he responded, “I don’t know, I know it’s a minimum of 10 days to two weeks of physical therapy on the hips, and the fact that he’s a pitcher, after that, who knows?” Cashman said. “He’ll be able to throw to some degree, I believe, while that’s going on. The main issue is to get those hips taken care of and get him back on line, because they’ve gotten off line.” Thankfully Wang’s ailment will not require anything drastic, just physical rehab. David Robertson has been recalled to take Wang’s 25 man roster spot.

Cody Ransom, on the other hand, could have a more serious injury. He suffered a right quadriceps injury when he was sliding into second base on a steal last night. For now I would assume Ramiro Pena will take over at third base, but according to Cashman the Yankees will have another infielder up by today’s game. I am guessing that would be Angel Berroa, however I personally would like to see Pena start at third for now.

Brian Bruney, who according to Joe Girardy has a “cranky elbow”, was not in Boston last night, rather he was in New York for examinations. For now all we can do is hope.

The Yankees have not announced who will take Wang’s spot in the rotation but I would be shocked if Phil Hughes did not take that spot. I would look for Hughes to get at least 4, maybe 5 starts before Wang comes back.

Update via Chad Jennings:

It is official, Angel Berroa was called up. No word on who was DFA to make room for Berroa on the 40 man.

Update via Pete Abe

It looks like we are going to see Mark Melancon come up as well to replace Brian Bruney who is on the DL. Nothing else on this yet. If Bruney was put on the 15 day DL then someone would have had to been DFA to make room for him, if Bruney was put on the 60 day DL then there would be no DFA. Let’s hope for the first situation.