Quick Hit: Tanaka To The DL With Elbow Problems; Heading For An MRI

My reaction:



That's an overseas HOT TAKE for you right there, people.  Here's another one.  If this is anything even remotely serious, and it sounds like it more than likely is, then you can get a shovel, dig a hole, and bury this season 6 feet under because it's over and dead.

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. **

2013: Year Of The HBP

(Courtesy of the AP)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

I'm sure the immediate reaction in Yankeeland to watching Robinson Cano take a fastball off the hand and leave the game in the 1st inning last night was not a fun one.  It was a near identical flashback to the J.A. Happ pitch that broke Curtis Granderson's forearm in ST, and I for one was almost a little relieved that I wasn't there to watch it happen live as it would have more than likely led to me making some kind of mean comment about Happ getting hit with another line drive.  Chalk it up as another one of the rare times when I'm glad I live in Wisconsin.

Cervelli Suffers Setback In His Rehab

Francisco Cervelli really can't catch a break, can he?  The broken hand from April continues to haunt him after the Yankees announced yesterday that he had suffered a stress reaction in his right elbow that will cause him to be shut down for at least 2 weeks.  The team believes he re-aggravated an old elbow problem trying to change his throwing motion to compensate for the hand.  He had been doing throwing and hitting drills in Tampa for a few weeks and was part of the mob expected back sometime after the All Star break but that's off the table.

The question now becomes what will the Yankees do in response?  They have been letting catching upgrade options go by on the waiver wire for the last few weeks despite an obvious need for an offensive upgrade over the Stewart-Romine tandem.  If Cervelli is now out until mid-August or later, will they take a more active approach in looking for that upgrade or will they go with with they've got?

Who's To Blame For The Youkilis Screw-Up?

(Who did this you??  Who hurt you???  Courtesy of USATSI)

We're never going to find out, and I ask the question knowing full well that it really doesn't matter in the long run.  What matters is that Kevin Youkilis get 100% healthy and not come back to play until his back is 100% healthy.  But just out of sheer, morbid curiosity I'd like to know what went on behind the scenes on Friday/Saturday that led to Youkilis' name being put on the lineup card so he could go out there and hurt himself again.  Cash's statement on the matter yesterday was pretty damning, about as clear-cut an instance of people getting thrown under the bus as I've seen in some time, and I work at a company that specializes in that.  It's pretty out of character for Cash to be that blunt and sell his own people down the river like that, so I'd be very interested in knowing what happened to inspire his comments.

So That Injury Report Is Filling Up, Quick, Huh?

There was plenty of other more positive news to talk about yesterday, but the biggest story in camp, as it has been multiple times already this spring, was injury-related.  Mark Teixeira was scratched from Team USA's WBC exhibition game and then scratched entirely from the roster after injuring his right wrist in the batting cage.  More tests will be done today, but it already doesn't sound good.  If that wasn't enough, David Robertson was unable to make his appearance in last night's ST game because of trouble getting his arm loosened up.

Not to be a Debbie Downer or anything, but if you're keeping score at home the Yankees are currently on track to enter the regular season with at least moderate injury concerns at the following positions:

• First base- Teix
• Shortstop- Jeter
• Third base- Youkilis & A-Rod
• Left field- Gardner (always a risk with the diving)
• Center field- C-Grand
• DH- Hafner
• Starting rotation- CC, Hughes, Andy (always a risk because he's old)
• Bullpen- Mo, Logan, Aardsma, D-Rob??

The Force Works In Mysterious Ways...

What Andy said:

"We’re playing well, everybody’s throwing the ball well, and we’ve got guys that are going to step up and do a great job. I’ll be back. Time flies quick. I’ll be back before you know it."

What he meant:

"You can't win, Casey. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."