Sabathia Watch: Getting Roughed Up In His Second Rehab Start

Originally scheduled for today, CC Sabathia had his second MiL rehab start moved up to last night.  Pitching for Double-A Trenton, he went 3.2 innings, throwing 55 pitches and allowing 5 runs (3 earned) on 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out 2.  Like in his first start, his fastball was sitting high 80s-90 and touching the low 90s on occasion.

I haven't seen any reports on the outing or quotes from Sabathia on how he felt, but if something had gone wrong with his knee I'm sure that would have made its way out.  I did find it somewhat surprising that the Yankees elected to move this start up and pitch CC on 3 days' rest.  For as slowly as they took the rest and early workout portions of his rehab, pitching him on short rest in his second game back seems unnecessarily aggressive.  Whatever, I'm sure they had their reasons.  With July 27th set as his activation date and Joe saying he will work on regular rest from here on out, there's time for him to make 4 more starts.  We'll see if the Yankees use all of them.

Sabathia Graduating To Live BP This Week

The rehab process for CC Sabathia and his degenerative right knee took another step forward over the weekend and could take another step or 2 forward this week.  Sabathia threw a 36-pitch bullpen session at The Stadium before Saturday's game, at what sounds like full strength.  Sabathia said he "got after it a little bit" when he was throwing and that he was trying to really test the strength of his knee to make sure it will hold up.  For what it's worth, he said the knee felt good after he finished.

From there, Sabathia is heading to the team facility in Tampa this week, where he will move to throwing live batting practice tomorrow.  If he comes through that well, the tentative plan is to have him pitch in a MiL game on Saturday.  The decision on what level won't come until later in the week, but I wouldn't be surprised if the team tries to get creative and get him in a few unofficial games so as not to start his 20-day MiL clock early.  We're still 3 weeks away from the All-Star break and the plan was to bring him through a full ST simulation to get him stretched back out.  Regardless of how good he feels and how poorly Vidal Nuno is pitching, there's no reason to rush that.

Pineda Has A "Trace" Of Inflammation In His Shoulder; Rehab Pushed Back Again

Michael Pineda was supposed to play catch yesterday for the first time since suffering a setback with his right shoulder/upper back last month.  The team scheduled him for what they called a precautionary MRI on Friday to make sure there was nothing wrong in the injured area and turns out there was.  Joe told the media before yesterday's game that the MRI revealed a "trace" of inflammation in Pineda's shoulder, so the decision was made to scrap yesterday's planned catch sesh and bump it back a week to next Saturday.

I fully understand and appreciate the need to be careful with Pineda because of the previous injury and close proximity of this back muscle to his shoulder.  But at this point, I think we have to start talking seriously about whether Pineda is going to pitch another meaningful inning this season.  He's been out with this injury since late April, he may or may not start playing catch again by late June, and the team has already said they're going to put him through a full ST to build him back up.  If the back and shoulder haven't healed up right after 2 months of rest, I highly doubt they're going to hold up once he actually starts pitching again.

Cervelli Slated To Be Activated Today (UPDATED)

Nothing official yet.  Won't be until later today.  But all signs point towards Francisco Cervelli being activated off the DL today to rejoin the team at home for the series opener against Toronto.  When that happens, the most likely candidate to give up his roster spot for Cervelli is the current backup catcher John Ryan Murphy.

Murphy has performed admirably in his role as backup to the backup.  He hit .286/.308/.365 in 65 plate appearances, handled his defensive duties well, meshed with his pitchers, and generally seemed to take positively to his second stint in the Majors.  In my eyes, and in the eyes of many others, he did enough to warrant keeping that job for the present and the future.  That said, it couldn't hurt to get him back down to Triple-A for some regular ABs.  If the team does fancy him a bigger part of their future than Cervelli, they need to get Cervelli back into games to build up some trade value for him.  In that sense, this move works for all parties involved and is a positive side effect of having the kind of catching depth the Yanks do.

So welcome back, Frankie.  Try not to sprain, strain, tear, or break anything on your way around the clubhouse today.

** UPDATE 3:19 PM- It's official, according to Mark Feinsand.  Frankie up, John Ryan down. **

Pineda To Be Out Until August

The news on the field has been all good in the last 4 games.  There was a bit of off-field news before last night's game that's not so good.  When speaking the media before the game, Joe said that Michael Pineda will be out of action until August as he works his way back from his back/should muscle setback.

According to Joe, Pineda has yet to resume playing catch after being shut down a few weeks ago in an ExST start.  Joe expects him to resume playing catch "fairly shortly" and from there the Yanks are going to take it slow with him and build him back up to a regular workload through bullpens, BP sessions, and some MiL rehab games.  They anticipate that process taking a month and a half, so it'll almost be like another Spring Training for Pineda.

Joe was quick to state that Pineda had not suffered another setback.  The team just wants to be careful with him and make sure they don't rush him and give him enough time to heal.  While it's good to know that there have been no further setbacks, the return of the kid gloves mentality with Pineda is not a good sign at all.  The injury is already in the vicinity of his shoulder injury and when all is said and done it's going to keep him on the shelf for 3+ months.  With all the health problems he's had, it's looking more and more like he's never going to be the pitcher the team expected him to be when they traded for him.

Report: Kelley To Return This Week

Shawn Kelley began his MiL rehab assignment over the weekend after making it through another throwing program without further injury to his back.  He pitched 0.2 innings for the Trenton Thunder on Saturday, recording both his outs via the strikeout and walking a batter in 19 pitches.  His back came through that perfectly fine and so the team has decided he can return this week after 1 more rehab appearance.

Joe told reporters before yesterday's game that Kelley would make that final rehab appearance tonight, possibly for Triple-A SWB, and then travel to Seattle to rejoin the team on Wednesday against the Mariners.  I'm a little wary of Kelley pitching and then having to sit down on a cross-country flight with a recovering back, but the Yankees need all the help they can get right now and Kelley will provide a lot for the bullpen.  His return means fewer innings for the mediocre middle relievers and a much-needed break in workload for Betances and Warren.

Tuesday Mid-Morning Injury News Roundup

- Carlos Beltran went 0-3 in an ExST game yesterday.  The plan, according to him, is to play in 2 more games and rejoin the Major League club on their next road trip.

- Francisco Cervelli has also been playing in ExST games.  Yesterday he went 1-2 at the plate and caught 3 innings.  He's a few weeks away from being eligible to come off the 60-day DL, so he'll continue to ramp up at a slow, deliberate pace.

- Shawn Kelley will throw a sim game tomorrow.  If that goes well, he'll start an official rehab assignment later in the week.

- Mark Teixeira should be back in the lineup tonight against a left-handed starter.  The decision on whether he played Wednesday will be made after he sees how he feels tonight.

- CC Sabathia had a follow-up on his knee with the team doctor earlier this week and he has begun walking on a "low impact" treadmill to test his knee.  He says he "feels great", but the only baseball-related plan is for him to play catch later in the week.  Nothing beyond that.

Saturday Afternoon Bad News Post

I'm really getting tired of writing this negative injury update posts.  It really fucking sucks.

- After making it through last night's game fine, most likely because he walked 3 times and didn't have to swing much, Mark Teixeira was removed from this afternoon's game early when his wrist started acting up again.  The team is continuing to call it "inflammation" and Joe said Teix won't play tomorrow or Monday before being re-evaluated Tuesday, but he did get another cortisone shot today.  Cue the DL stint countdown.

- Michael Pineda was also shut down before he could make his scheduled ExST start tomorrow.  He felt soreness in his shoulder area after playing catch yesterday and an MRI today revealed inflammation in the same area that his initial back/shoulder muscle injury occurred.

More on these stories as it comes out...

Friday Morning Injury News Roundup

Here they are, quick and dirty:

- Teix: Saw his surgeon in New York yesterday, who took an Ultrasound and didn't see anything.  The injury is still being called "wrist inflammation" and Teix's status for tonight's game is unknown.

- Beltran: Took soft toss in the cage yesterday, 25 swings each from the right and left side.  Felt no pain, scheduled to do this again today.

- Kelley: Played flat field catch again yesterday, all good.  Slated to throw a bullpen session today.

- Pineda: Scheduled to pitch in an intrasquad game in Tampa on Sunday.  No word yet on pitch count or plans after the outing.

- ManBan: Returned to the mound last night after missing some time with elbow stiffness.  Threw 2 scoreless innings for Double-A Trenton.

Wednesday Morning Injury News Roundup

It's really sweet that these are becoming a regular feature on the site, right?  No?  Oh, well then that's awkward.  Aaaaaaaanyway...

- Carlos Beltran took more dry swings yesterday, both right and left-handed with a regular bat, and felt no discomfort in his elbow.  He'll take a day off today and resume swinging tomorrow.

- Shawn Kelley's back felt good after his long toss sesh on Monday, so he threw another one yesterday.  If his back feels good again, he'll throw some more today.

- More from Teix on his stiff right wrist: “The doctor is 99 percent sure that this is inflammation from overuse and just completely expected.  He was surprised I haven’t had more flare ups. It’s been pretty good all season.”  I guess that makes me feel better about it.

(Quote and updates via Chad Jennings)

Teix Wrist Update: Might Need More Than A Day

I wouldn't say it was necessarily pessimistic, but Mark Teixeira's self-evaluation of his stiff right wrist yesterday wasn't nearly as optimistic as Joe's was earlier in the day.  Teix spoke about it after the game, and via Chad Jennings' report, he said he thought it was best to use more than just yesterday to rest it:

“It’s just inflammation, we think.  It’s probably time to take a day or two off to let it calm down anyway.”

Teix said this current stiffness is the worst he's felt all year and it's been bothering him whether he swings righty or lefty.  He didn't swing at all yesterday and he probably won't today.  There are no further tests scheduled, but it does come off a bit odd that everybody keeps talking about the stiffness in terms of what they "think" it is.  If there's uncertainty, why not get a follow-up MRI to verify?

Obviously this isn't good news for the Yankee lineup.  Teix has been the most consistent power presence in it since coming off the DL.  But the first year after surgery is always a bumpy road like this and given the history of guys who've had the same surgery, it's much better to take the safe route here.  Give Teix a few days of no swinging and see how it responds.  They've got a new backup first baseman in Brendan Ryan anyway.  I'm sure he can replicate Teix's production for a few games.

Memorial Day Injury News Roundup

Hope everybody is enjoying their Memorial Day.  Here's the latest on the batch of injured/rehabbing Yankees if you're near a computer:

- Michael Pineda is slated to pitch 2 innings in an ExST game in Tampa tomorrow.  No word on how many of these games he's expected to pitch or what his pitch count will be.

- Carlos Beltran took 15 dry swings with a fungo bat today and felt good, and the plan is for him to take more tomorrow.  According to Jorge Castillo, tomorrow's session will include 30 swings with a real bat.

- Via Dan Barbarisi, Shawn Kelley threw on flat ground from 75 feet today "with no issues".  I imagine the team will see how he feels tomorrow before making a decision on the next step.

- If you missed it earlier, Mark Teixeira was scratched from the lineup with stiffness in his surgically-repaired right wrist.  Sounds minor, some normal post-surgery effects.  Details can be found in the post below.

Pineda Update: Threw 30-Pitch 'Pen Session Yesterday, Decision Coming Today On Next Step

Pineda threw a 30 pitch bullpen earlier today. No issues. Will determine wether he throws another pen or face hitters tomorrow #yankees
— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) May 21, 2014

 While Shawn Kelley took a big step back in his rehab work yesterday, Michael Pineda took another small step forward.  He threw a 30-pitch bullpen session before the game and did so without any pain or problems in his upper back/shoulder area.  It was the 3rd 'pen he's thrown and the decision on whether he throws another one in the next few days or graduates to facing live hitters will be made when the team sees how he feels this morning.

We're still weeks away from Pineda returning to the rotation, so don't get too excited.  But progress is progress.  Pineda moving up to live batters would bring him another step closer to coming back and helping the depleted rotation.

Kelley Suffers Setback With His Back, Return Schedule On Hold

Shawn Kelley started his week-long rehab schedule on Monday by playing the catch.  If everything went according to plan, there was a chance he would be activated on Sunday.  Things did not go according to plan.  Not even close.

Via Dan Barbarisi, Kelley's rehab work has been shut down after he woke up with stiffness in his back yesterday.  Joe confirmed this to the beat guys before the game and said there is no timetable for when Kelley will try to throw again.  All we know right now is that everything is on hold and he's going to stay on the DL.

Cash Says CC Will Be Out Until July

Confirming what most of us already suspected was the case, Cash told Joel Sherman earlier today that CC Sabathia is going to be out "until at least July" because of  the degenerative condition in his right knee, saying CC's return date "will be no sooner than 6 weeks from now."  According to Sherman's report, Cash said the 6-week timetable is the result of the stem cell injection CC was given by Dr. James Andrews last week and includes recovery and rehab time.

David Waldstein has confirmed Sherman's story and also that the 6-week timetable is from last Thursday, the date of the stem cell injection.  Sabathia was supposed to get off his crutches today and begin pool therapy work tomorrow, according to Cash, and I suspect today's follow-up with the team doctor is to confirm that CC can stay on that schedule.

Obviously this ramps up the Yankees' search for rotation help, which Cash also confirmed to Sherman, but right now there isn't much out there.  While we wait for that market to materialize, we might as well start waiting for the eventual report that Sabathia is behind schedule and will not be back in 6 weeks.  This whole thing has that kind of feel to it.  Hard to expect that 1 injection will be enough to overcome that many years of wear and tear on that knee.

CC To Be Reevaluated Today, Will Miss More Than 15 Days

This was the most likely outcome given last Thursday's diagnosis of "degenerative changes" in CC Sabathia's twice-surgically repaired right knee, but Joe made it official after yesterday's games that CC is going to be out longer than the minimum 15 days.  He will be examined again by the team doctor today in an attempt to come up with a rehab plan, but for now there is nothing planned until Dr. Ahmad gets another look at the knee.

Sabathia has been on crutches since the knee inflammation was first diagnosed and I imagine there's a chance that today's examination determines he needs to stay on them for a while longer.  Joe's statement to the media yesterday conveyed how unsure the team is about his condition and how serious a problem it could become:

"Is it a 15-day DL?  It’s going to be more than that, I can tell you that. When we’ll get him back, I don’t think any of us really know, because this is not something that’s done very often."

For now, I guess we just wait and see what comes out of today's reevaluation.  An official announcement from the team should come later today or sometime before tomorrow's game.  I'm not expecting it to be a positive one.

"Degenerative Changes" In CC's Knee? That Doesn't Sound Good

Cashman: CC has degenerative changes in knee... Will have cortisone shot with stem cells tomorrow ... No timetable yet #Yankees
— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) May 14, 2014

The small bit of good news that came from Dr. James Andrews confirming the initial diagnosis on CC Sabathia's knee of inflammation and fluid was dealt a blow later in the day yesterday when Cash elaborated on the situation to the media.  As I've said before, I'm not a doctor and have never worked a day in the medical field, but the phrase "degenerative changes" being used in relation to the twice surgically-repaired plant knee of a mid-30s MLB pitcher who's spent the entirety of his career pitching at or around 300 pounds cannot be a good thing.  At all.

Sabathia was set to get a cortisone/stem cell injection in his right knee today, and at some point in the next few days he'll have it drained, but this new description of the knee's condition does not give me a warm and fuzzy.  As of right now, I'm counting on him missing more than the minimum 15 days and most likely spending another 15-day stint on the DL for this knee later in the season.

P.S.- 2017 now seems like a reeeeeeally long way away, doesn't it?

Tuesday Evening Injury News Roundup

Another day, another batch of injury updates.  This blows.

- Ichiro Suzuki will most likely not be available tonight.  Hasn't quite recovered from his tumble in Milwaukee.

- Mark Teixeira is back in the lineup tonight with his tired legs.  This is the only good news.

- The MRI on Carlos Beltran's hyperextended right elbow revealed a bone spur.  He took a cortisone shot and is going to wait a few days to see if that helps.  If it doesn't, surgery to remove the spur is the next option.

- Shawn Kelley's back still isn't better and he was placed on the disabled list with a "strained lumbar spine" retroactive to last week.  Sounds fun.  Zoilo Almonte was called up to replace him on the active roster.

Monday Evening Injury News Roundup (UPDATED)

BTW, Cashman said CC is going to see Dr. Andrews as a precuation, not because something got worse.
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) May 12, 2014

Hopefully this doesn't become a regular feature on the site, but there was a lot of Yankee injury news this afternoon.

- The biggest story, to me at least, is the one above about CC Sabathia going to have his knee looked at by Dr. Andrews.  The team is saying it's just a precautionary move, but anytime the name "Dr. Andrews" is involved, that's simply not the case.

- Mark Teixeira admitted his legs felt tired this weekend and I can say that from what I saw of him rounding third yesterday afternoon, I thought he had actually hurt himself.  He's out of the lineup tonight with tightness in his groin, but Joe says he could be back in tomorrow.  We'll see.

- Last but not least, Joe announced earlier today that Michael Pineda will be out longer than the original 3-4 week recovery estimate.  He started a throwing program over the weekend, on flat ground, and there is no timetable for when he'll be on a mound or back in games.  This is just the next move in the series of careful ones the Yanks have made since his shoulder injury.  Can't really blame them.

** UPDATE 9:59 PM- Via Joe's postgame presser, Shawn Kelley is still not ready to return to game action and is day-to-day with back tightness.  According to Joe, Kelley "doesn't have the flexibility to finish his pitches."

- Also, Carlos Beltran left tonight's game early after hyperextending his right elbow taking swings in the batting cage.  He went for an MRI and the team is awaiting results.

- One more.  Ichiro was not available tonight because he has a sore knee and sore back from his sliding catch attempt yesterday.  Great.  Just fucking great. **

Roster Moves: Ryan Activated, Pineda Reinstated From The Suspended List, Placed On 15-Day DL

Roster moves: B. Ryan back from 15-day DL, MLB reinstated M. Pineda off susp. list, NYY put Pineda on 15-day DL w/ rt shoulder muscle injury
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) May 6, 2014

As expected, the Yankees have made their roster moves in response to Michael Pineda's 10-game suspension ending today.  He has been reinstated from the suspended list and placed on the 15-day disabled list for his back muscle strain.  The once again available 25-man roster spot was taken up by Brendan Ryan, who was activated off the DL.

This move gets the Yanks back to a normal roster breakdown: 8 positional starters, 5 starting pitchers, 1 DH, 7-man bullpen, 4-man bench.  They could use some defensive help up the middle, so expect to see Ryan get into the lineup mix immediately.  Pineda will start a throwing program later in the week to get started on his rehab.  We'll see how true that initial 3-4 recovery estimate was.