Thursday: Nova has been diagnosed with inflammation in his rotator cuff and has been placed on the 15-day DL. The treatment is just rest and medication, and he won’t pick up a baseball for at least five days. I expect the club to be very conservative given the Pineda stuff, so it wouldn’t be a total surprise if Nova has already pitched his last game of 2012.
Wednesday: Right-hander Ivan Nova is headed back to New York to be evaluated after complaining of tightness in his throwing shoulder last night. He felt something pull in the back of his shoulder while throwing a fastball to the final batter of the sixth inning. Joe Girardi said that Nova is expected to miss at least one start and is a candidate to be placed on the DL. David Phelps will remain in the rotation for the time being and CC Sabathia is due to come off the DL on Friday.
Obviously any kind of shoulder problem is a concern, especially with the Michael Pineda fiasco fresh in our memories. Nova has been extremely durable throughout his professional career, and the only other arm injury he’s dealt with is the forearm strain that forced him from Game Five of last year’s ALDS. As poorly as he’s pitched of late, Ivan is an important part of the club and the Yankees will surely be conservative.