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 Watch: Throws First Rehab Start For High-A Tampa

Start the countdown clock to July 27th, because CC Sabathia made his first Minor League rehab start yesterday.  He threw 2.1 innings for High-A Tampa, giving up 2 earned runs on 3 hits while striking out 2 and walking 1.  Of his 36 pitches, 24 were strikes and according to Erik Boland, a scout had him sitting high 80s with his fastball and touching 90 once or twice.  The scout said it "looks like Spring Training", which is not a huge surprise considering Sabathia's age, the injury, and the slow-paced nature of his rehab schedule.

Also not surprising was CC's take on his outing.  He said he "couldn't be happier" with the way he felt.  This is the same thing we've heard for every other injury rehab, so take it with a grain of salt, but at least it's better than him saying he felt pain or discomfort in the knee.  No word yet on when or where his next rehab outing will take place, but signs point to it being sometime next week for Double-A Trenton.

Sabathia Watch: 2-Inning Sim Game; GCL Start On Saturday

Next step in the CC Sabathia rehab plan has officially been taken.  The big guy threw a 2-inning simulated game at the team complex yesterday, 34 pitches in all, and came through the outing with no issues or pain in his knee.  The plan for the rest of this week is a bullpen session sometime in the next day or 2 and then a start for the GCL Yankees on Saturday.

This would be the official beginning of the CC's 30-day MiL rehab stint, an important milestone because it's one that allows us to start figuring out his eventual return date.  If the plan for him to pitch Saturday holds, we're looking at a late July return, Monday the 28th to be exact.  Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves just yet though.  There's a lot that can happen in that time and the whole thing goes out the window if Sabathia starts to feel something in his knee.  For now, let's worry about getting him to and through Saturday.

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.

Report: CC Returns To The Mound

CC Sabathia threw 25 pitch bullpen yest. (just fb/change up) Will throw another pen tomorrow (all pitches) & reevaluate from there #Yankees
— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) June 17, 2014

It's been 2 weeks since CC Sabathia began rehab work on his right knee in the form of low-impact treadmill walking and playing catch.  Via Meredith Marakovits, that rehab schedule took a major step forward when he got back on a mound for the first time yesterday to throw a bullpen session.  Per Marakovits' report, Sabathia said he was encouraged and that his knee felt good.  If that holds through today's off-day and tomorrow's scheduled 'pen sesh, the next steps in the comeback plan can start to come together.

Cash declared CC out "until at least July" back on May 19th.  4 weeks and a day have passed since then and this is the first real significant progress CC has made.  I have to think the team is going to take it extra careful with him from here as they start to work him back into game shape, perhaps even more carefully than they're taking it with Pineda.  With the years and money still owed to him, that would be a wise move.

Beltran To Return Today? (UPDATED)

Nothing's official yet, and won't be until later this afternoon, but all signs point to Carlos Beltran returning to the Yankee lineup tonight today.  He came through his ExST games without any problems in his elbow, he was on his way back to New York to rejoin the team yesterday, and when asked about his status before last night's game, Joe had this to say:

“He could possibly be in the lineup tomorrow. We’ll make a decision tomorrow, see how he feels, and he could be in the lineup tomorrow.  I just didn't reveal it because sometimes if a guy has a day setback, it becomes a huge story. And I don’t want it to become a huge story.”

So as long as Beltran doesn't wake up with pain in his elbow today or hit his funny bone really hard on anything in the clubhouse, he should be good to go.  The Yankees have been on a bad streak when it comes to setbacks, so smart move by Joe not saying anything until he knows Beltran is good to go.

Beltran returning could be huge if he truly is over the pain in his elbow.  There's no way of knowing how long that will last, but with Joe planning to use him as the primary DH he should be able to limit the wear and tear on that elbow.  The more Beltran can give them, the better.

** UPDATE 10:37 AM- Beltran has indeed been activated, with Scott Sizemore getting sent down, and is batting 5th in today's lineup as the DH. **

Beltran Heading To Tampa For MiL Rehab Games

While the offense continues to sputter and injuries continue to linger, the Yankees did get a small bit of good news on the health front after yesterday's loss.  Joe told reporters that Carlos Beltran will be heading to Tampa to get some game situation at-bats over the next few days and could rejoin the team later this week.

Beltran's right elbow has apparently responded well to the cortisone shot he received a few weeks ago.  He progressed quickly through his light rehab workouts last week, quicker than I thought he would if I'm being honest.  He went from dry swings with a fungo bat to live BP in less than a week, and he hasn't felt any pain or discomfort in the elbow after any of the workouts.

Because the MiL teams' schedules aren't conducive to a formal rehab assignment, the plan is for Beltran to play in a few ExST games.  That actually could work out better than a true assignment, as Beltran will be able to get a lot of at-bats in those informal games and really test his elbow on swings.  Joe didn't give specifics on how long Beltran would be down there, but did leave the possibility open for him to rejoin the team by the end of the week. As bad as the offense has been lately, that would be ideal.

ManBan Experiencing Arm Fatigue, Scratched From Start Last Night

With the Major League rotation taking such a physical beating lately, the organizational pitching depth has really dried up.  That's made Manny Banuelos a more attractive potential option despite the fact that he's been pitching primarily in High-A ball this year on a strict innings/pitch count limit as he comes back from TJS.  That comeback hit its first real rough patch last night when ManBan was scratched from his scheduled Double-A start with arm problems.

As first reported by Nick Peruffo, Banuelos was scratched for Jairo Heredia after telling coaches about some soreness and fatigue he had been feeling in his left arm.  A possible DL trip was discussed initially, but Banuelos himself told Peruffo the issue was fatigue more than soreness.  This is pretty common with guys who are coming back from surgery and a lot of missed mound time.  It doesn't sound like anything is wrong with ManBan's surgically-repaired elbow, so the plan for now is to rest him for 3 days and have him play catch on Thursday to see how the arm feels.

Pineda To Throw A Bullpen Session Tomorrow

Pineda will throw a 25 pitch bullpen session tomorrow
— Daniel Barbarisi (@DanBarbarisi) May 17, 2014

Joe gave updates on a few of his injured pitchers earlier today, and this was the most positive of the news.  Michael Pineda, on the DL since 5/6, is slated to throw his first bullpen session since being hurt tomorrow.  He's thrown a few side sessions in the last week and graduating back a mound is the next important step in getting back to full strength.

Pineda is eligible to be activated on Wednesday, but that's definitely not going to happen.  The Yankees have said from the minute he got hurt that they were going to take it slow with him and Joe announced last week that his timetable was going to be longer than the initial 3-4 week estimate.  I'm betting on at least 2 bullpen sessions over the next week and at least 3 MiL rehab starts after that before he returns.  Call it mid-June if there are no setbacks.

Ryan Starts Rehab Assignment

Out since mid-March with a pinched nerve in his upper back, Brendan Ryan took a big step towards his return from the DL this past Sunday when he began his MiL rehab assignment with the High-A Tampa Yankees.  Ryan has started at shortstop in each of the last 2 games for Tampa, going 3-8 with 1 BB and 2 RBI.  I haven't read any specifics on how many innings he played in the 2 games, but I have to think it would have been reported if it was less than 9.

Ryan missed most of Spring Training, so his rehab assignment will not be as brief as Teix's or D-Rob's were.  Joe said he wanted to get Ryan a full compliment of ST plate appearances before calling him up, so 40-50 should do the trick.  That would put Ryan on track for another 8-10 rehab games and a return to the Major League roster in about 2 weeks.  The Yankees are playing without a true backup shortstop for Derek Jeter right now and they've already had to sit him for a few games to rest a tight quad.  Ryan was always meant to be the man for that job, and the sooner he can get back to do it the better.

Injury Updates: Teix, D-Rob, Ryan

Got a trio of updates on the injured Major Leaguers who are close to returning, courtesy of Chad Jennings:

Mark Teixeira- Played 3 innings in an ExST game this afternoon at the team complex and came through with no hamstring issues.  He's scheduled to play 5 innings tomorrow, a few on Saturday, and then rejoin the team Sunday.

David Robertson- Threw a 25-pitch bullpen session this afternoon and felt good.  He'll pitch in an ExST game on Saturday and if he comes through that fine he'll be activated on Tuesday.

Brendan Ryan- Apparently he's farther along than I released.  Joe said he's been taking swings and he could get into an ExST game on Saturday as well.  Because he missed so much time in ST, the Yanks will let him get more MiL ABs to get his timing back.  No exact timetable for his return, but it could be by early May.

Report: Teix Slated For 3 Rehab Innings Today

Mark Teixeira scheduled to play 3 innings tomorrow in Tampa, on track for activation Sunday.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) April 17, 2014

 The next best bit of good news after the 2-0, double shutout, doubleheader sweep yesterday was the news above on Mark Teixeira.  He went to Tampa earlier in the week to ramp up his rehab work on his strained hamstring and based on this report, it sounds like he's going to be golden to come off the DL on Sunday as he originally planned.  Teix will play 3 innings in a MiL game today, most likely for the Tampa Yankees.  I'm not sure if it will be at first base or DH, but considering he participated in full batting practice and ran the bases yesterday, I'd say first is more likely.

Barring any setbacks after today's game, I expect the Yanks to play him in a few more rehab games through Saturday and then activate him for the series finale in Tampa on Sunday.  The wins yesterday were great, but don't forget that the offense only scored 5 runs in those 2 games.  They could definitely use Teix's presence and bat back in the lineup ASAP.

Yanks Assign ManBan To MiL Camp, Make The Right Call

(Courtesy of the AP)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

Months back, I wrote a post advocating for Manny Banuelos' inclusion in the Spring Training rotation competition if he was healthy enough to do so.  My thinking was that if he showed no ill effects from the Tommy John Surgery that cost him his 2013 season, he offered more upside as the 5th starter than anybody else the Yankees had in-house.  I didn't expect the Yankees to deviate from their cautious plan with ManBan, but I would have been fully on board with the idea if they did.

As it turns out, there were plenty of ill effects from Banuelos' TJS on display in his 2 Spring Training outings, although none that were physical or arm-related, and ManBan made it easy for the Yankees to cut him from Major League camp yesterday morning and assign him to High-A Tampa camp.  While his fastball velocity was encouraging in the low 90s, his command wasn't there on any of his pitches and Banuelos got knocked around for 7 ER on 4 H and 3 BB in 1.0 total IP over his 2 appearances.  Like most other pitchers who come back from TJS, ManBan has a long way to go to regain the feel for his stuff and the best place to start doing that is in the Minors.

Yanks Still Mining For Injured/Rehabbing Roster Gold

(Pass.  Courtesy of Howard Simmons/NY Daily News)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

In the never-ending quest to add more pitching depth, the Yankees were among several teams on hand to watch Johan Santana throw in Florida yesterday.  He's attempting to work his way back from a second shoulder capsule surgery in less than 3 years and the Yanks have been linked to him for months.  According to George King, Santana was sitting 77-78 MPH with his velocity and he maxed out at 81.  That is a far cry from the upper-80s he was throwing the last time he was on a Major League mound, and while King did say his changeup looked "impressive", I question whether Major League hitters would feel the same when it's coming at them at basically the same speed as his fastball.

Take It Easy, Teix

Position players aren't scheduled to report to Yankee camp until Wednesday, but Mark Teixeira arrived yesterday and started his spring workouts as he continues to work his way back from last year's wrist injury/surgery.  Teix took some light fielding drills with Mick Kelleher and some light hitting drills with Kevin Long, and when he settled into his locker today he took time to speak to the media.  I guess he's feeling better than he was earlier in the winter because the standout quote from Teix was a pretty bold declaration:

"I absolutely plan on playing 150-plus games this year.  That's my goal."

More power to him for setting the bar that high, but let's pump the brakes before we get too carried away with playing time goals that excessive.  This is the same guy who hasn't played more than 150 games since 2011, played only 15 last year, and was still feeling some stiffness in the wrist less than a month ago.  Now 1 day after showing up at camp he's saying he expects to play in over 92% of the team's games this year.  Given the backup options behind him, I'm sure the Yankees would be thrilled to get that many games from Teix this year.  Before we start talking about that though, let's maybe get a real batting cage session in and see how the wrist feels after a few ST games.

Jeter Takes Live BP In Tampa Today

We're still 11 days from pitchers and catchers reporting to Tampa, but that didn't stop Derek Jeter from continuing his preseason preparation/comeback from the litany of leg injuries that limited him in 2013.  Jeter worked out at the team's complex this morning, taking both live batting practice and fielding grounders at short for the first time since finally shutting it down last season.

Anthony McCarron had the specifics of the session, 39 swings and 34 grounders if you're interested, and Jeter was typical Jeter when asked about the workout by the media:

“Everything is good so far, knock on word...

This offseason is like a normal offseason.  I’m four months ahead of where I was last year. Last year, quite honestly, I want to forget about it.”

Another step in the right direction for The Captain.  We still need to see how he handles full games and playing multiple games in a row to get a good idea of how he'll be once the regular season starts, but live BP and live grounders beats doing nothing in a walking boot 25 hours a day, 8 days a week.

Report: Teix Still Feeling Stiffness In His Wrist

The Yankees needing a healthy and productive Mark Teixeira in 2014 is a point that no longer needs to be made.  We know how important he is and how valuable he can be when he's healthy, and we don't know how healthy or productive he'll be this season at age 34.  The uncertainty surrounding the last part of that sentence is going to remain until we see him on the field again playing every day, and the latest news on his rehab from wrist surgery doesn't read as encouraging.

According to a report by Bryan Hoch yesterday, Teix is still feeling some stiffness in the surgically-repaired wrist.  He's been continuing his strengthening exercises and has graduated to hitting off a tee recently, but he's still looking at February for live batting practice and an early March date for returning to game action.

That Teix is going to miss the first week of ST games hardly comes as a concern if you remember back to his "Yankees Hot Stove" appearance in November.  That his wrist is still feeling stiffness and discomfort does come as a concern considering how early in his "baseball activity" rehab schedule he is.  If the wrist is stiffening up on him during tee time, how's it going to respond when he starts taking real BP?  How's it going to feel when he starts playing in games and hitting and throwing regularly every day?

Teix himself could only offer an "I hope so" when asked if he'll be 100% physically by Opening Day.  Having seen what happened with The Captain last year when he tried to push for an unrealistic Opening Day return date, the Yankees need to closely monitor Teix and how his wrist is feeling when spring camp starts.  No sense in pushing it if he's not ready.

Teix Talks About His Rehab Schedule

If you missed it, Mark Teixeira was a guest on YES' "Yankees Hot Stove" show last night and during his appearance he gave us our first real update on the rehab work he's been doing since having wrist surgery in July.  For those who don't have time to check out the whole video, here are the highlights:

- Currently, Teix is doing mostly slow swings and range of motion exercises to improve the strength and flexibility in the surgically-repaired wrist.  The plan is to continue these exercises through the end of the year.

- Starting in January, Teix will hit off a tee and take batting practice against a pitching machine.  He wants to ramp up to a 90 MPH pitching machine by early February.

- When spring camp starts, he'll participate in full team workouts and drills, including live batting practice, but he doesn't plan to play in any ST games until early March.

Teix also said he'll ditch the weighted bat and cut his game day swings down from an estimated 100 per day to around 70-80 once the regular season starts.  It sounds like he wants to take things slow and make sure the wrist doesn't have any pain or tightness at each level of activity before moving on.  Given how long the wrist problems lingered from 2012 into this season, I think that's the smart play.  Teix can be a big part of a rebuilt lineup this season so the most important thing is making sure he's 100% healthy and able to play and contribute every day.

More Winter Ball Pitching Decisions

We know that Vidal Nuno is going to pitch this offseason.  We know that Dellin Betances is not.  Via Chad Jennings, we now know the plans for a few more of the younger Yankee pitching prospects.  Unsurprisingly, the plans involve a lot of inactivity.

- Manny Banuelos will not be pitching this winter after throwing all season to work his arm back into shape after TJS.  The team wants him to rest this winter and be ready for spring camp.

- Michael Pineda will also not be pitching this winter.  I expect him to throw in some capacity to stay sharp and keep his arm strength up, but he won't be pitching in game action until next spring.

- Jose Ramirez, who turned some heads this year in ST, was pitching in an instructional league after an oblique strain ended his season in the Minors.  He's not expect to pitch in winter ball either.

- Ty Hensley was also pitching in an instructional league as he works his way back from 2 hip surgeries.  He won't do anything formal in the winter but he'll continue to throw and progress back from surgery to hopefully be ready for spring.

It's not a confidence booster to read about so many injured pitchers, but at least they're all healthy and working their way back.  Being ready for next season is the most important thing now.

Jeter To Return Today, Claiborne Inexplicably Will Be Sent Down Again

The good news: Derek Jeter is scheduled to make his return to the lineup tonight in Toronto.  He went 1-3 with a single and an error in 7 innings at shortstop on Saturday, completing a 3-game rehab turn that saw him come through with no physical issues.  He still hasn't played a full game at short, and hasn't played more than a few consecutive games, but the Yankees can't afford to wait as long as they probably wanted to with Jayson Nix now on the DL and the team playing without a backup infielder.  Jeter's return allows the Yanks to move Eduardo Nunez back to the bench and back to that utility role for the time being.

The bad news: Preston Claiborne is once again the 25-man roster casualty needed to clear a spot for Jeter.  Despite 3 scoreless appearances in 4.2 IP since coming back up, and despite Joba Chamberlain continuing to be the most unreliable reliever in the 'pen, the decision has been made to send Claiborne back down.  It's a bizarro world call for sure.  There's no value in keeping Joba on the roster anymore, not at the expense of better pitchers.  But whatever, at least The Captain will be back on the field.