Xavier Nady, suffering from a partially torn elbow ligament, will begin hitting drills on Friday. These exercises will be a true bellwether for Nady. If the Yanks’ outfielder can swing without completely rupturing the ligament or feeling more pain, then he and the Yanks can begin thinking about rehab. Nady has been undergoing a platelet-rich plasma injection regime in the hopes of avoiding Tommy John surgery. If he responds well to the baseball exercises, he feels he could start a rehab assignment on Monday, May 25 with mid-June as a possible return date. He would probably just DH for the rest of the season.
Sterling: Wang to start at AAA
According to John Sterling, Chien-Ming Wang will make his next rehab start at AAA on Tuesday. My guess is that if Wang has a good outing, he’ll replace Phil Hughes in the rotation next weekend. With a day off on Monday, the Yankees will need five starters this week before Wang is ready. If Wang isn’t sharp for Scranton, he’ll stay there on his rehab assignment.
Kennedy has an aneurysm
PeteAbe has the terrible news. Ian Kennedy has an aneurysm, which was causing him to lose feeling in his fingers, and will have surgery on Tuesday. The problem was originally diagnosed as a vasospasm and didn’t appear too serious. Dr. George Todd will perform the surgery, he’s the same guy that took care of David Cone’s aneurysm back in 1996. Just horrible, our thoughts are with Ian and his family.
Bruney’s injury and instant replay
I don’t really need to harp on just how bad the Yankees bullpen has been over the last few weeks, but stick with me for a minute.
After last night’s loss dropped the team to 3-9 over the last 12 games, the bullpen’s season numbers are horrific. In 92 innings this year, the pen has put together a 6-6 record with a 6.26 ERA. The combined might of the Yankee relievers has resulted in 95 hits — 21 of which have left the park — as well as 49 walks.
One of the few bullpen right spots in the early going was Brian Bruney. In nine appearances spanning eight innings, Bruney had allowed 3 earned runs on 3 hits and 2 walks. He had struck out 12 and had claimed the set-up spot as part of the Bridge to Mowhere.
But it was not to last. The oft-injured Bruney found himself on the disabled list 15 days ago. Initially, the Yankees said the right-hander would return after the minimum, but the news now is not quite as sunny. Bruney threw yesterday for the first time since Sunday, and while he reported no pain, he says he still needs at least another two weeks to ramp up his arm to game-ready condition.
For now, the Yankee bullpen will have to keep it together for a few more weeks, but the more interesting aspect of Bruney’s injury is how he thinks he got it. A few weeks ago, he said he was working too hard in between starts. Now, he says that a long instant-replay review caused him to overextend himself. Bruney is talking about the Yanks’ April 19th victory over the Indians when a Jorge Posada pinch-hit fly ball just cleared the right field fence. Mike and I were at that game, and it took the umpires nearly 10 minutes to reach a decision upon review.
“There’s no reason to have an 8 1/2 minute delay,” Bruney said to reporters yesterday. “In my opinion, that’s why I did get hurt. I didn’t know if that umpiring crew is going to come out in 30 seconds or two minutes. So I’ve got to keep throwing.”
Of course, Bruney then admitted that he threw more pitches than normal during a side session to keep warm. Perhaps he’s just looking for scapegoats as injured players are wont to do. Either way, Bruney brings up a valid point: The instant replay reviews should be time-limited. Umpires don’t need that much time to review a call. Two or three minutes should be ample.
In the end, while the Yanks won that April game in an exciting fashion, they lost Bruney, a key cog, in the process. For now, they’ll just have to get by without him.
Early a.m. injury updates: Molina, Rivera
We love features around here, but these early morning injury updates are not exactly the best “wake up” news for Yankee fans. Today, the update stars the back-up catcher thrust into the starting role and the team’s Hall of Fame closer. Hooray!
Last night, for the first time since July 18, 1998, Mariano Rivera gave up two home runs in one appearance. For the first time in his career, he gave up back-to-back jacks. Age, it seems, catches up with everyone. As Joe detailed, Rivera has put up some ugly numbers and some good numbers recently. He has nine strike outs and no walks over his last 4.1 innings but has allowed nine hits — four homers — and five earned runs over that stretch.
After the game, Joe Girardi said that Rivera had been battling “arm strength” problems. The velocity graphs show a slight dip this year. With the command still there, Mike thinks this is a dead arm period, and I’m inclined to agree. Rivera is 39 and had shoulder surgery last year. He ain’t the spring chicken he once was, and he may lose a tick or two. But unless the Yanks see something physically wrong with him, he’ll just work through it as he always does.
Jose Molina, on the other hand, seems headed for the DL. Molina strained his quad while scoring last night, and the Yankees are now down to their third- and fourth-string catchers. Who starts behind the plate on Friday night is anyone’s guess. Perhaps Joe Girardi will a sign a player/coach contract and slip on the gear. Even at 44 and five season removed from his last game, he’s probably a better choice than anyone the Yanks have in their system.
A-Rod back tomorrow
Update 5:22 p.m.: The tireless AP checked in from Florida one last time, and A-Rod is heading to Baltimore to meet the Yanks. The Post reported today that A-Rod will definitely be activated tomorrow, but the Yankees confirmed this news a few minutes ago. A-Rod, out since mid-March with a hip injury, played just three innings today in Extended Spring Training and then thanked the Tampa support staff after the game. His return will be welcome indeed. (I do wonder though why he couldn’t have made it to New York in time for tonight’s rain out game.)
In other rehab news, Chien-Ming Wang threw 72 pitches over five scoreless innings today. His sinker was sinking, according to Billy Connors. Wang hopes to make two or three more starts before returning to the Bronx. That would put his return sometime around the May 29-31 series in Cleveland.
Are the Yankees abusing the disabled list?
When the Yankees placed Chien-Ming Wang on the 15-day DL with hip weakness, most fans viewed it with a skeptical eye. He had been bombed in three straight outings, capped off by one of the most embarrassing performances in recent memory. Clearly the Yankees had to do something, but absent minor league options they were quite limited. In order to continue fielding a full 25-man roster, the Yankees placed him on the disabled list, which seemed like the only possible move which could accommodate the needs of all parties.
Yes, this was done on shaky conditions, but it’s not like the Yankees are the first team to fudge a DL placement. Teams have done it throughout history to free up roster spots. Sucka Got No Juice talked to one GM who think that “certain teams are manipulating the disabled list for a competitive advantage.” He supported this statement by pointing to Wang’s case, among a few others. So are the Yankees abusing the system by placing Wang on the DL?
I think it’s pretty clear that there is something physically wrong with Chien-Ming. His velocity was down from previous years, and his mechanics were all out of whack. While that doesn’t necessarily point to a physical issue, it certainly could. That possibility should give them the right to place the player on the disabled list. The only alternative is to keep him on the 25-man roster, and if he’s on the 25-man roster he’d probably be pitching. If his ineffectiveness was in fact because of an injury, keeping him on the 25-man and having him pitch would prove of further detriment.
Adding to the case is Wang’s current rehab plan. It’s not like they disabled him just so he could get work in the minors. Rather, they sent him to extended spring training to make a start, from which they determined that his issue was physical before placing him on the DL. And now he’s staying in extended spring training, undergoing physical therapy between starts. In other words, he’s going through the regular motions of a player on the disabled list.
This obviously comes from a biased perspective. No Yanks fan wants to see the team play a man short, or be forced to trot out a totally ineffective pitcher every five days. Still, I have a hard time taking these abuse claims seriously. Chien-Ming Wang is not in the physical shape to pitch in the majors. Isn’t that what the disabled list is for?
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