More Injury News! Sweet!

... he said sarcastically.  It really just doesn't stop this spring and it's getting pretty damn boring and depressing to write about.

It started on Thursday, when the Yankees announced that Derek Jeter would not play in any more Major League ST games this month and would only play in MiL games.  This would only be done so the team could back date a season-opening DL stint.  Jeter himself told reporters this morning that he's no longer going to talk about how his body is feeling, and to be honest I think between that statement and the MiL games-only plan, it seems like there's more going on here than the Yankees want to let on and Jeter's ankle is probably in bad shape.

The news didn't get any better yesterday, when Bryan Hoch tweeted that it "seems likely" Phil Hughes will start on the DL as well due to his rehab starts taking place in MiL games.  And the rotten cherry on top of the shit-flavored injury sundae came when Andy McCullough of The Star-Ledger reported that Clay Rapada's shoulder injury will force him to start the season on the DL.

If you're keeping score at home, that's now 6 of the projected 25 Opening Day roster players expected to start the season on the diabled list.  75% of the starting infield, the teams' 2-time leading HR hitter, a part of its starting rotation, and a pretty good bullpen piece.  And the injuries ain't cheap, folks.

Yanks Sign Wang

As first reported by Jon Heyman, the Yankees have agreed to sign former starter Chien-Ming Wang to what is believed to be a MiL deal.  Wang is expected to join the Triple-A rotation to start the season.

As I've been saying for a while now, this is exactly the type of signing the Yankees usually make to fill out their Triple-A rotation and it's the signing they had yet to make this year so the timing couldn't have been better.  I don't expect Wang to contribute much, if any, at the Major League level and if it gets to the point when he is starting in the Major League rotation then something went horribly wrong.  But it is always fun to see familiar faces return to the organization, and via the new CBA Wang can opt out in June if he hasn't been called up.  If nothing else, he can use the first few months in the Minors as an audition for a Major League job elsewhere.