Ivan Nova placed on DL with rotator cuff inflammation
Here is the official word from the Yankees:
RHP Ivan Nova was seen today in New York City by Dr. Christopher Ahmad and underwent an MRI at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
He has been diagnosed with inflammation in his right rotator cuff, and has been placed on the 15-day disabled list. Treatment will consist of medicine and rest. He will not play catch for five days.
Mark Teixeira expects to return to lineup on Monday
NEW YORK – Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira is expecting to return to the lineup on Monday after missing a three-game series against the Red Sox with a sore left wrist.
“That’s the goal,” Teixeira said. “I could probably push it today, but we don’t want any setbacks. We don’t want anything to get inflamed again. So we’re going to take it easy today.”
Teixeira took ground balls at first base on Sunday while wearing a compression brace on his wrist, which has already had one cortisone shot administered as he missed three games from July 31 to Aug. 2.
That quelled the pain temporarily, but Teixeira experienced a flare-up after playing 14 straight games. He said that it seems to bother him most when he swings and misses or attempts to check his swing, and is hoping to avoid a second cortisone shot.
“The reason that we want to take a few days off is I don’t want it to linger,” Teixeira said. “We don’t want it to linger, especially something like a wrist. As a power hitter, I need my wrists. I need my hands. And if it does linger, then it’s not going to help anybody. It’s not going to help me or the team.”
Teixeira is batting .257 with 23 home runs and a team-leading 78 RBIs in 112 games. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that he is hoping to write Teixeira’s name in Monday’s lineup against the White Sox in Chicago, and is concerned the injury may be something Teixeira will battle the rest of the season.
“I think it’s a possibility that he could have to deal with this the rest of the year. And I think it’s a possibility it could be gone, too,” Girardi said.
“We’re not really going to know until he goes through it and how effective the treatment is, but he did play a pretty long time before it came back a little bit. That’s good. Hopefully this time it’ll be much longer.”
Yankees’ Teixeira could miss entire Red Sox series
The Yankees may be without Mark Teixeira for the entire weekend series against the Red Sox, and perhaps a few games more. Teixeira is battling a flareup of soreness in his left wrist and manager Joe Girardi said that Teixeira is “not a player” for Saturday’s game against Boston, and that he doesn’t know if Teixeira will be able to play in the Boston series at all.
The Yankees don’t want to put Teixeira on the disabled list, hoping that some rest will be able to get Teixeira back to a playable state and that he can manage any discomfort the rest of the way.
“I’m a little bit concerned if it’s going to get to 100 percent,” Girardi said. “He was better after the few days off a couple weeks ago and it seemed to come back a little bit. That raises a little bit of a red flag. You do what you can. Tex is good at playing beat up. He’s used to it in his career. We’ll try to get him back as soon as we can.”
CC: I’m pitching Friday
CC Sabathia threw about 20 pitches in a bullpen session this afternoon at Yankee Stadium and declared himself ready to pitch on Friday against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field.
“I felt good. I’ll throw a bullpen again on Tuesday and the plan is to be ready to go on Friday,” Sabathia said.
Sabathia said he felt no discomfort in his left elbow and, though he probably wouldn’t have mentioned the injury on his own, says that he believes it was the right decision to go on the disabled list for some time to heal.
“Looking back on it now, yeah,” he said. “It’s the same thing as with the groin. I probably wouldn’t have said anything, but I woke up that morning and couldn’t move my arm or touch my shoulder. I had to come in, but looking back, I pleaded my case to not go on the DL. After throwing today and the past couple of days, the way I felt, it seemed like that was the best way to go.”
Andy Pettitte has slight setback in rehab from ankle injury
NEW YORK — Yankees left-hander Andy Pettitte has suffered a slight setback in his recovery from a fractured left ankle, the veteran first told the New York Post on Sunday.
Pettitte, 40, told the newspaper that he “did a little too much in Seattle” and that the ankle “hasn’t healed up as much as [the doctors] thought it would.”
He had been building arm strength by throwing on flat ground in the outfield before games, including on the club’s recent trip to play the Mariners, and was spotted on one occasion running the stairs in the lower seating bowl at Safeco Field.
“He pushed himself too far, so we will back off,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said.
Cashman added that Pettitte’s situation is part of the “ebb and flow to rehab,” and that the Yankees will “see him in September.”
Pettitte told the newspaper that he has been told to back off on his rehab temporarily to help reduce the swelling in the ankle.
The Yankees have expected Pettitte to return to their rotation in early September, and it is not believed that the latest issue with his ankle will affect the original timetable of six to eight weeks. Team doctors have been encouraged by periodic checkups on Pettitte’s injury, including X-rays that have showed healing, and he has been walking without the help of crutches or a boot.
Pettitte suffered a fracture of his fibula when he was hit by a Casey Kotchman one-hop ground ball during a June 27 start against the Mariners at Yankee Stadium. He came out of retirement this spring after sitting out for the 2011 season, joining the big league club in May and going 3-3 with a 3.22 ERA in nine starts.
Cashman: Mariano isn’t coming back this year
Yankees GM Brian Cashman was on SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio channel this morning, where hosts Jim Duquette and Mike Ferrin asked about reports that closer Mariano Rivera may be able to play this season.
Cashman again splashed cold water on the idea, going a little bit further to call out Dr. Keith Pyne for unprofessional behavior. Pyne is the rehab doctor who is working with Rivera; he spoke to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman earlier this month, sparking what Cashman says is false hope of Rivera’s return in 2012.
Host/Jim Duquette: “Mo, is there a chance he could come back? We saw some reports that he might be able to come back.”
Brian Cashman: “No. I mean, his physical therapist that he’s working with, I thought was unprofessional and went public with things. I mean, medical personnel should be quiet. And it’s not our physical therapist, it’s someone he’s got that we’ve signed off on. But those guys should not be doing interviews and he provided an interview that was, you know, not a fair reflection of where this player’s at. His over-enthusiasm, I thought, provided improper information. He’s not coming back this year and I wish he was, I wish he was, but unfortunately people get excited. They want to get their name out there for whatever reason and so he got a day in the sun, but he’ll be proven wrong in the end unfortunately. So, he got all our fans excited and a lot more media attention for myself to deal with, but he’s not coming back this year. I wish he was.”
Rivera has said that his goal is to return in 2012 but he doesn’t want to commit to it for fear of creating disappointment. Yankees manager Joe Girardi has pointed out that it would be difficult for Rivera to prepare to pitch in postseason games since there is little Minor League action in September. After his right ACL injury, the all-time saves leader vowed to pitch in 2013.
Mariano Rivera says his goal is to pitch in September
Could Mariano Rivera be back on the mound by the end of the season? The Yankees aren’t expecting the all-time saves leader to be ready before 2013, but Rivera isn’t ruling out the possibility.
Rivera spoke optimistically about a September return in an interview on Monday with ESPN Radio’s Michael Kay, addressing a published report that suggested his torn right ACL might not be a season-ending injury after all.
“That’s my goal,” Rivera said. “Definitely, that’s my goal. I’m not thinking about it because if it doesn’t happen, I will be disappointed. So I’m taking it day by day. I’m working hard and doing what I’m supposed to do. I don’t want to put something in my mind.
“I want to make sure that I do my things first. That’s what I’m doing, that’s the way I’m thinking. Day by day, positive, optimism. Whatever the Lord will allow to happen, that will happen.”
The New York Post reported last week that while Rivera’s working theory is that he is out for the season, his rehabilitation is ahead of schedule. The Post quoted Dr. Keith Pyne, who is overseeing Rivera’s rehab, as saying that “if I was putting money on it, I would put my money on Mo.”
Rivera was injured on May 3 in Kansas City while shagging batting practice fly balls. He did not undergo surgery until June 12 because of a blood clot in his right leg, but doctors have been impressed by how quickly he is recovering.
“I’m working. I’m feeling good,” Rivera said. “That’s all I can tell you. I feel good and the therapy is great. Everything is good. You have to continue working hard and wait to get on the field.”
The 42-year-old Rivera was 1-1 with a 2.16 ERA and five saves this year. He has 608 career saves and said he has been tossing baseballs with his children, but will not guarantee that he’ll be pitching to any big league hitters this season.
“I don’t know,” Rivera said. “I don’t know. I can’t answer that. I want to. I want to be there now. Only God knows.”
Another setback for Brett Gardner?
Brett Gardner came into the Tampa, Fla. training complex today feeling a little sore and was given the day off, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.
Girardi said that the soreness is “a concern” and called Gardner’s repeated troubles with his right elbow “puzzling.”
Another setback could knock Gardner out for the season. He hasn’t played in a Major League game since April 17.
Brett Gardner suffers setback; out until at least All-Star break
Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner felt more pain in his right elbow this morning and will be sent to see a doctor on Monday.
Manager Joe Girardi said that he does not expect Gardner back until at least the All-Star break after this setback, his second since suffering a strain making an outfield catch in April. Girardi said that he cannot be sure exactly when the Yankees will get Gardner back. Gardner is going to see Dr. James Andrews early next week, as well as go for a second opinion from Dr. Timothy Kremchek.
“Something’s not right. He still feels stiffness,” Yankees GM Brian Cashman said. “He doesn’t feel right. … We’ll try to figure this thing out because we don’t have an answer to this.”
- Yankees hurler Hiroki Kuroda has a bruise on his left foot but he believes he will be able to make his next scheduled start.
Mariano Rivera set to have surgery June 12
NEW YORK – Yankees closer Mariano Rivera has been scheduled to have surgery on his torn right anterior cruciate ligament on June 12, and expects to be ready to pitch during the 2013 season.
Rivera, 42, said that the procedure was scheduled after he learned that the blood clot discovered in his right calf after the May 3 injury was no longer an issue.
“I’ll do what I have to do,” Rivera said. “It’s something I have to work at.”
Dr. David Altchek, the Mets’ medical director, will perform Rivera’s procedure at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Rivera has been working out since his injury, strengthening the knee to prepare it for surgery.
“Actually, I’ve been so busy with therapy that I don’t even think about it,” Rivera said. “When I come home, I’m tired, and then watching the games — it’s a full day.”
Rivera vowed one day after the injury that he would return to a big league mound next season. Though he said that he does not want to consider any timetables for a complete recovery, Rivera confirmed that his intent to pitch again has not wavered.
“There’s no doubt about that, God willing,” Rivera said. “I always believe in miracles, a lot of good things. We’ve got to get it fixed first.”
Rivera stamped out speculation about pitching again in 2012, saying, “I can’t. I don’t want to think about it. I guess miracles happen, but I just have to be able to do what I will do.”
In Rivera’s absence, the Yankees briefly promoted David Robertson to the closer’s role before also losing him to injury. Rafael Soriano is a perfect 7-for-7 in save opportunities and appears to have secured the job, even as Robertson is expected to return from the disabled list in about a week.
Bryan Hoch
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