No really, I thought 2013 was over.
About a week before he was set to return to action from an injury suffered during his suspension for using pine tar, Michael Pineda has been shut down after a setback due to inflammation. An MRI confirmed the inflammation in Pineda's back after experiencing discomfort while throwing on Friday. He was originally scheduled to pitch in extended spring training tomorrow but will now be shutdown for "a while" before trying to rehab once again. Joe Girardi "believes Pineda can make it back to help the team this season" which sounds incredibly ominous when worded that way. This pretty much eliminates any concern about how many innings Pineda will have to pitch this season.
Mark Teixeira left today's game with soreness in his right wrist. The same soreness cost Tex a few games last week, and that brief rest didn't seem to fix the problem. Some soreness is probably to be expected after surgery cost Teixeira nearly all of last season, but this could easily turn into a DL stint for the Yankees' first baseman. Wrist injuries are notorious for their lingering nature, which could mean that this ends up being a common refrain all season and beyond. The Yankees had Brian McCann start at first base while Teixeira sat last week, which worked in their favor by also getting John Ryan Murphy's hot bat into the lineup. With very little in the system in the way of MLB-ready first basemen, the Yankees may have to make do with what they have until they can decide if Kendrys Morales, who they have been linked to recently, is worth signing after the draft on June 5th.
Mark Teixeira had a cortisone shot in his wrist during today's game. He's hoping that will take care of the pain.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) May 31, 2014