BREAKING: Sabathia Has Fluid On His Knee, Going For An MRI (UPDATED)

Girardi just said on WFAN that Sabathia woke up today with fluid in knee and prob headed for MRI. Unsure what's next for him. #yankees
— David Lennon (@DPLennon) July 3, 2014

That's the whole story as far as we know right now and it isn't good.  After pitching on short rest and throwing 55 pitches in his second MiL rehab start last night, CC Sabathia woke up this morning with fluid in his surgically-repaired and recently stem cell/cortisone-injected degenerative right knee.  He's going for an MRI to assess the level of damage and severity and as of right now his comeback plans are on hold.

More on this story as it comes out...

** 4:49 PM- Via multiple beat guys and gals, Girardi said there was "swelling" in CC's right knee as well.  This doesn't sound at all like it's going to have a happy ending. **

Kelly Johnson Day-To-Day With Bruised Fingers

The jinx strikes again!  I write about how Kelly Johnson is coming on and deserves to be in the lineup every day and pow!  He takes a pitch off the right hand trying to bunt in the 6th last night, leaves the game, and might miss a few more with bruised fingers.

Why Johnson was even being asked to bunt in that situation is beyond me, but the good news is that X-rays were negative and the injury is bruises instead of breaks.  Joe seemed like he had been coming around to the idea of going with Johnson more and Solarte less, evidenced by his decision to start KJ last night.  A quick recovery to get Johnson's bat back in there would be the best possible outcome here.

Thursday Afternoon News And Notes

Been a little slow around the blog the last day or so with my 9-5 cutting into my time, but thankfully it's been relatively slow around Yankeeland as well.  Here are some of the smaller stories I've missed from the past 2 days:

- CC Sabathia threw his second rehab bullpen session yesterday.  It was another 25-pitch sesh, not sure if he mixed in any of this offspeed pitches this time.  Next one is set for Sunday and his pitch count should be bumped up.

- Michael Pineda is scheduled to play catch for the first time since his last setback on Saturday.

- 2 more top draft picks signed yesterday, 4th rounder Jordan Montgomery and 6th rounder Jonathan Holder.  Montgomery signed for full slot value, Holder about 60-70k below.

- Via Chad Jennings, outfielder Taylor Dugas was promoted from Double-A to Triple-A today.  He's way under the radar as a prospect, but he was hitting .294/.403/.424 for the Thunder this season and has a .293/.422/.368 career slash across 4 levels of the Minors.  Got a little Brett Gardner-ness to him.

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.

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)

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.

Saturday Morning News And Notes: 5/24/13

A few things from yesterday and last night:

- Michael Pineda was feeling good after his latest bullpen session, so via George King, the decision has been made to move him up to facing live hitters this weekend.  He'll most likely throw some live BP today at the Tampa complex.

- On the international FA front, the Yanks are reportedly "close" to signing 17-year-old Korean shortstop Hyo-Jun Park to a $1.1 million deal.  Scouts say he's a very good fielder with a line drive/contact-driven approach at the plate, and he will count against this year's spending cap if the deal becomes official.

- Brian Roberts fouled a ball off his right knee last night and was removed early after limping around on it for a few innings.  X-rays were taken and came back negative, but I imagine he'll get today off.

- Via Jack Curry, last night's loss was the first for the Yanks when leading after 8 innings this year.  They were 21-0.

Report: Beltran Will Try To Play Through Elbow Injury (UPDATED)

Dr. Andrews must be raking it in on the Yankee account this year.  Carlos Beltran had his scheduled visit with the good doctor today to follow up on the bone spur in his right elbow that has him on the DL.  The visit and the revelation that Beltran had already received a 2nd cortisone injection in the elbow were bad signs that surgery, but it looks like Beltran is going to try to play through the injury first.

According to a report by Mark Feinsand, Dr. Andrews confirmed that Beltran has a bone spur in his right elbow (that's why they pay him the big bucks, folks), but apparently did not recommend immediate surgery.  Feinsand's anonymous source also says Beltran is going to try to play through the injury before turning to surgery and could come off the DL as soon as he's eligible if the elbow is feeling better.  If he's unable to play through the pain, surgery would put him out for 2 months.

In a way, this is better than immediate surgery.  The Yankees will get Beltran back in the lineup, for a short team at least, and maybe the cortisone injections will be enough for him to play with the injury and hit better than he has been.  That quick second injection really scares me though, and I think this could be a situation similar to CC's in which Beltran is just delaying the inevitable.

** UPDATE 5:09 PM- Via Bryan Hoch, Joe said Beltran will try swinging a bat on Monday to test the elbow.  If it doesn't feel good, he'll be shut down and undergo surgery. **

Sunday Doubleheader News And Notes

The first game of today's doubleheader doesn't start for another few hours, but it's already been a busy day on the Yankee news circuit.  Here are the early headlines from this morning:

- Hiroki Kuroda will start the first game and Vidal Nuno the second today.  I'm sure it was Hirok's call on when he wanted to pitch.

- Jose Ramirez has been called up as the 26th man for today's game.  I know he has the advantage of being on the 40-man roster, but the fact that he was called up after only being active for a week or so shows how highly the Yanks think of him.

- He may see action today too because Joe has ruled Dellin Betances not available after pitching 2 innings yesterday.  He's been leaning on Betances and Warren a lot lately.

- Via Dan Barbarisi, Carlos Beltran has already received a second cortisone shot in his injured elbow and he's scheduled to visit Dr. Andrews for a second opinion on it on Tuesday.  Neither of those are good signs.

- Game 1 Lineup: 1) Gardner- DH, 2) Jeter- SS, 3) Ellsbury- CF, 4) Teix- 1B, 5) McCann- C, 6) Soriano- RF, 7) Solarte- 2B, 8) Johnson- 3B, 9) Zoilo- LF.

Yankees Place Carlos Beltran On The 15-Day DL

Yankees make it official: Carlos Beltran to the DL, Chase Whitley added to active roster.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) May 15, 2014

Well that sucks.  Despite saying today that he's "getting better", the Yankees have elected to put Carlos Beltran on the 15-day disabled list with a bone spur in his right elbow.  The plan is to use the DL stint to rest his elbow, see how it responds to that and the cortisone shot he received, and then make a decision on whether to proceed with surgery or not.  Expected recovery time from surgery would be 6-8 weeks.

I'm not one for delaying surgery when it seems like the eventual endgame, but I agree with what the Yanks are doing here.  I don't think they would have wasted time with the cortisone shot if the spur was obviously bad enough to need surgery.  If Beltran feels like he can play after a few weeks off and it looks better to the doctors, I guess it's worth a shot.

Chase Whitley takes Beltran's spot on the active roster.  Bruce Billings was DFA'd to clear a 40-man spot.

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. **

Already Broken News: Sabathia To The 15-Day DL

Didn't even see this yesterday before I passed out, but the Yankees put CC Sabathia on the disabled list with fluid in his right knee.  He went for an MRI after his start on Saturday night, which showed the fluid in the knee, but fortunately there's no structural damage.

For that reason, the team is optimistic that CC will be out for the minimum of 15 days, but you never know with older pitchers.  Even if it is a simple drain and rest and he misses the minimum amount of time, this is an area of concern moving forward.  Sabathia has battled health problems over the last 2 plus seasons and his right knee is his plant knee.  If there's fluid buildup now, it seems likely that there will be more or possibly more severe issues there later in the year.

The only good news here is that maybe the time off will give CC a chance to correct his fastball command problems.  They've been the bane of his existence this year.  The bad news is that now the Yankees are without 60% of their Opening Day rotation.  Alfredo Aceves is expected to take CC's spot in the rotation, and it seems like Chase Whitley will get called up to take Al's spot in the bullpen.

Kelley Day-To-Day With Back Tightness

Last night, my old man and I were wondering why Joe didn't have Shawn Kelley warming for the 7th or 8th inning.  The game was close, which almost always means Joe sticks with his regular guys in their regular roles.  Turns out he wasn't available due to an undisclosed back injury.  Kelley said he started feeling a little stiffness in his back during the Angels series and it tightened up worse on him after the flight into Milwaukee.  He went for an MRI, which came back clean, so for now the Yankees are calling him day-to-day and seeing how a few days of rest affects it.

Doesn't sound like a serious problem right now, but it'll be worth following over the next few days.  I wouldn't expect to see Kelley tonight or tomorrow afternoon, so the Yanks are once again working with a short bullpen.

Report: A Handful Of Injured Prospects Close To Returning

Chad Jennings of LoHud put together one of his classic prospect update posts yesterday, and you didn't have to sift through it very long to find the best bits of news.  According to Mark Newman, DL-stricken prospects Slade Heathcott, Tyler Austin, Bryan Mitchell, and Dan Burawa are all "about a week away" from being activated and returning to game action.

You'll remember that Heathcott has yet to play at all this season as he's been rehabbing from offseason knee surgery.  Austin has been out with a groin strain for a few weeks, Mitchell with a sore elbow, and Burawa with an oblique strain.  Greg Bird was activated earlier this week and assigned to High-A Tampa, so the rest of this crew following him back into action would be a nice boost to a prospect crop that's had another uneven start to the year.

Newman also told Jennings that 2012 1st rounder Ty Hensley has been throwing bullpen sessions at the Tampa complex and should start facing hitters next week.  Getting him ready in time for the start of the short season leagues would be great.  Dude has missed a lot of time.

Report: Brendan Ryan Could Rejoin Team Today

Joe Girardi says Injured Brendan Ryan could rejoin the team shortly - possible for tomorrow as team heads to Anaheim
— Daniel Barbarisi (@DanBarbarisi) May 4, 2014

With Derek Jeter scuffling at the plate, Yangervis Solarte cooling down, and Brian Roberts being what we feared he might be, the Yankee infield could use some help.  According to Dan Barbarisi, that help could be coming as soon as tomorrow when the team activates Brendan Ryan from the DL.  The Yanks have been a man short while Michael Pineda serves his 10-game suspension (operating with a 3-man bench) and the suspension ends on Tuesday.  Ryan will most likely travel with the team to Anaheim, get a day off today, and then be activated and available for tomorrow night's game.

Joe said he wanted to get Ryan 40-50 plate appearances before bringing him back and by my count he's had 30 in his MiL rehab assignment.  I guess the Yanks are counting PA he got in a few ExST games before the assignment started towards the total.  There have been no negative reports about Ryan's back since he returned to game action, so it sounds like he's good to go.  He's not going to be the offensive savior of the group, but his presence will allow Joe to rest Jeter and Roberts a little more and play some favorable matchups and his defense should be a big boost to the pitching staff.

Just cross your fingers that his back doesn't stiffen up on the cross-country flight...

More Injuries: Ellsbury And Pineda (UPDATED)

Couple of disconcerting injury-related stories coming out right now.  Jacoby Ellsbury has apparently been bothered by a sore left hand for the last few days and while tests on it came back negative, it's bad enough that he's not in the lineup tonight.

The bigger and potentially worse news is in regards to Michael Pineda.  He reportedly shut himself down after just 1 inning of his simulated start today after feeling tightness in his right lat.  He's going for an MRI and according to Joe, his next scheduled start on May 5th is in jeopardy.

More on these stories as it comes out...

** UPDATE 3:55 PM- Joe told reporters that David Phelps would stay in the rotation if Pineda is unable to make his start on Monday.  Not a good omen for what could come back on this MRI. **

** UPDATE 10:22 PM- Via Erik Boland, Pineda has been diagnosed with a Grade I strain of his teres major muscle.  The team is saying he'll be shut down for 10 days, will be out for 3-4 weeks, and will undergo further evaluation by the team doctor.  This doesn't sound good at all. **

Minor League Injury Update

(Later, guy.  See you in 2016.  Maybe.  Courtesy of the AP)

I don't know what it is about the Yankee farm system that has it so susceptible to injuries, but the body count is already starting to rise this season.  A handful of big names have hit the DL this week and more than a handful of smaller ones are dealing with smaller physical issues of their own.  After the jump, a quick recap of all the new injuries in case you missed any of the news.

Nova Elects Surgery For Torn UCL

This was the always the endgame, even after Nova requested a second opinion on his partially torn UCL earlier this week.  Dr. James Andrews was given the second look and he echoed the recommendation of Yankees team doctor Dr. Ahmad that Nova have Tommy John Surgery on the ligament.

Nova will go under the knife for TJS next Tuesday, with Dr. Andrews himself performing the surgery.  It will officially end Nova's 2014 season, and with recovery time still an estimated 12-18 months, Nova will also lose most of his 2015 season.  A tough break for Nova and the Yankees.  Maybe this will help fix some of the minor arm issues he had leading up to the tear, but typically arm injuries mean more arm injuries.