Joba Chamberlain becomes latest Yankee added to disabled list
NEW YORK – Joba Chamberlain is the latest Yankees player to hit the team’s crowded disabled list.
The right-handed reliever has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right oblique strain, the team announced on Thursday.
Chamberlain, 27, had no record and a 3.86 ERA in 10 appearances for New York this season, spanning 9 1/3 innings.
He had permitted four earned runs and 10 hits, walking six and striking out seven. Chamberlain last pitched on Saturday, when he recorded a save in a scoreless ninth inning against the Blue Jays.
The Yankees did not immediately announce a corresponding roster move to replace Chamberlain on the active roster.
New York now has 10 players on their star-studded disabled list, as Chamberlain joins Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Ivan Nova, Michael Pineda, Cesar Cabral, Francisco Cervelli and Kevin Youkilis.
Yankees place Kevin Youkilis on DL, recall Corban Joseph from Triple-A
NEW YORK – The Yankees have placed infielder Kevin Youkilis on the 15-day disabled list with a lumbar spine sprain, replacing him on the active roster with infielder Corban Joseph.
Youkilis had missed eight of the Yankees’ last nine games with the persistent back issue. Manager Joe Girardi said that an MRI taken on Youkilis was negative, but Youkilis was scheduled to receive an epidural injection on Tuesday to relieve discomfort.
Telling the Yankees he felt ready to play, Youkilis returned to action against the Blue Jays on Saturday but felt more discomfort in his back after waking up on Sunday.
“It was just one of those things waking up, and I didn’t feel right,” Youkilis said before Monday’s game. “Sometimes, after your adrenaline’s gone, things occur to you. We’ve just got to find out what’s going on.”
The 34-year-old Youkilis signed a one-year, $12 million contract with the Yankees and was expected to hold down third base in the absence of Alex Rodriguez, who is not expected to return until after the All-Star break. Youkilis was batting .266 with two homers and seven RBIs in 17 games.
Joseph, 24, was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he was batting .273 with four home runs and nine RBIs in 22 games. A fourth-round selection by the Yankees in the 2008 Draft, Joseph has played mostly second base in the Minors and will be making his Major League debut.
Cervelli needs surgery on broken hand; Nova heading for MRI
A double whammy for the Yankees here tonight in the Bronx:
- Francisco Cervelli has a fractured right hand and will require surgery. He will miss a minimum of six weeks, the Yankees said. Cervelli suffered the injury when he was hit by a foul top off the bat of Toronto’s Rajai Davis in the top of the first inning.
- Ivan Nova left tonight’s game in the third inning with right elbow pain. He has been scheduled for a MRI tonight.
As always, more updates as soon as we have them.
Battery problems: Francisco Cervelli, Ivan Nova injured for Yankees
NEW YORK – Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova exited Friday’s game against the Blue Jays in the third inning with an apparent injury on what has developed into a troublesome night for the home team at Yankee Stadium.
Nova’s final pitch of the evening came on a ball that was hit back up the middle by Rajai Davis for a single. The ball did not hit Nova, but the hurler grimaced and confirmed an injury to head athletic trainer Steve Donohue. Nova gave the ball to manager Joe Girardi, his work done after two-plus innings pitched.
David Phelps relieved Nova on what was a short night for the Yankees’ battery. Catcher Francisco Cervelli lasted just five pitches before he was hit with a Davis foul tip in the first inning, suffering an injury to his right hand. Chris Stewart took over the catching duties for New York.
The Yankees have not yet announced details of either injury, but catcher Austin Romine was lifted mid-inning from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s game against Syracuse, an indication that Cervelli’s injury could be substantial.
The Yankees had been getting early production from Cervelli, who hit his third home run of the season in Thursday’s 5-3 victory over the Blue Jays. He is batting .269 with three doubles and eight RBIs in 17 games.
Derek Jeter vows to return this season from ankle injury
Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter addressed the media today at Yankee Stadium, making his first public comments since the team announced that he had suffered a new fracture in his surgically repaired left ankle. The Yankees have said that Jeter is expected to return after the All-Star break, and while the captain said that he isn’t announcing his timetable to get back in the lineup, he has a date in mind that is probably sooner than that.
Here are some highlights from the first part of Jeter’s press conference. We’ll have complete coverage coming up on MLB.com and Yankees.com.
Difficulty of this process:
“It’s been a difficult process. It’s been a frustrating process. Just when you think you’re close to coming back, then you have a setback. It’s part of the healing process. When you get hurt, it’s supposed to take time. It’s supposed to take time when you break a bone. Unfortunately, it has taken more time than I anticipated.”
Any doubt you will come back this season:
“No, no doubt. When you have doubt, that’s when you’re in trouble. I’ve been told this bone will heal and when it heals I’ll be ready to go. It’s frustrating that I can’t magically make it heal sooner than it’s taking, but I have no doubt I’ll be back.”
Idea of timeline:
“I’m not getting into a timeline. The last timeline I set, I didn’t make. I don’t want to disappoint myself or anyone else. Whenever it heals, I’ll be back, I guess that’s the best way to put it.”
When did this happen?:
“It’s the same bone but it’s in a different spot. I’m not exactly sure when I did it. When we took the CT scans before spring training started, the bone had healed. I’m not one to complain about something being sore, so you just go out there and play, which I did. It just never went away. I wasn’t able to run. I wasn’t able to do things that I wanted to do. I had it checked out again and that’s when they found out that it was fractured again. I would assume it has probably been like that for quite some time, but that’s just an assumption. There’s no way to tell.”
March 19 game at Clearwater?:
“I don’t know. Maybe, yeah, but I’d just be guessing. If I was going to assume I’d say yeah, but once again it’s just an assumption. Unless you took the test at that particular time, it’s impossible to know. I knew something was wrong but if it’s not broken, then I’ll play. I guess it was broken.”
Regret setting the Opening Day timeline?:
“No, I don’t. My job is to be ready for Opening Day. I feel like I didn’t do my job. My job was to be ready; unfortunately I wasn’t. No, I don’t regret it, because I think you have to set goals to try to reach those goals. I’m never one to just sit back and have a lot of patience when it comes to anything being wrong. No, I don’t regret it. I regret that the bone didn’t heal, but not setting a date – no.”
Glad they found something?:
“I know my body. I knew something was wrong. I can’t say I’m glad they found something; I wish they didn’t find something, but all the things that we thought it was, it wasn’t. I knew something was wrong. I can play if something is in pain. You guys know I don’t like talking about injuries. You either play or you don’t. I don’t enjoy this press conference here, but I have to talk about it because I’m not playing. I knew something was wrong because it’s not just tendinitis or stiffness. There’s something wrong that was making it unable for me to play. We found out it was because it was broke.”
Think the problem was caused by impatience?:
“I don’t think so, because when I took the tests, I believe I had two CT scans before I actually got on the field and started doing things. Both of them said the bone had healed. Once the bone has healed you can move forward. Something happened. I don’t know what happened, I wish I could explain it. No one can really give me a definite explanation for it but once it heals I’m going to be right back at it and come back as soon as I can. I guess the best way to put it is, I don’t know what happened. I really don’t know what happened. But I don’t think I pushed it too hard. Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t, but I don’t know.”
Updates on Kevin Youkilis, Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter
A few quick updates to share from the Yankees clubhouse as they prepare for tonight’s game against the Rays at Tropicana Field:
- Kevin Youkilis is still having treatment on his sore back and is not expected to play until Thursday at Yankee Stadium. Joe Girardi said they won’t ask Youkilis to come to the bench during tonight’s game so he can keep receiving treatment, but Youkilis’ back is supposedly getting better. He did not appear in the clubhouse this afternoon. The Yankees are again playing Jayson Nix at third base and Lyle Overbay at first base against left-hander David Price.
- Mark Teixeira is still taking only dry swings, and said that his right wrist hasn’t loosened up enough to permit him to move on to batting practice. Teixeira said he feels like the wrist is healed, but acknowledges he won’t make it back for May 1st. Teixeira’s initial time frame of the injury was eight to 10 weeks, so May 1st would’ve been about the earliest possible date, but Teixeira still believes he is on track to play in the big leagues during the month of May.
- Ben Francisco has struggled in his role as the DH against left-handed pitching, but Girardi said that he will stick with him, saying that he believes “Francisco has hit some balls pretty decent.” That said, Girardi acknowledges how much the lineup misses guys like Derek Jeter and Teixeira against lefties.
- Brennan Boesch is likely to be in tomorrow’s lineup as Girardi plans to give Vernon Wells a day off.
- Jeter is expected to rejoin the Yankees on Thursday in New York and will talk to the media at Yankee Stadium. Girardi said that he believes Jeter has been fitted for a walking boot on his left ankle again.
Yankees and Rays meet at Tropicana Field
Hello from inside the dome at Tropicana Field, where the Yankees and Rays will open a three-game series tonight. We’ll have updates from the clubhouse later this evening, including a check on if Kevin Youkilis will be in New York’s lineup after taking Sunday off on the turf up in Toronto due to back stiffness.
Update – yep, Youkilis is in:
Yankees lineup at Rays: Gardner 8 Francisco DH Cano 4 Youkilis 3 Wells 7 Cervelli 2 Boesch 9 Nunez 6 Nix 5 Sabathia LHP
Here is a selection of the information from the Yankees’ official game notes:
AT A GLANCE: Today the Yankees will play the first game of a three-game series at Tampa Bay… is the fourth game of a six-game road trip which also included a three game series at Toronto (went 2-1)… went 4-2 on their recent homestand from 4/12-18 against Baltimore (2-1) and Arizona (2-1)… following this road trip, will return home for a 10-game homestand vs. Toronto (4/25-28), Houston (4/29-5/1) and Oakland (5/3-5).
>Are 9-3 since 4/7 after starting the year with a 1-4 record… are tied for the fourth-best record in the AL.
RECENT RUN: The Yankees have gone 9-3 over their last 12 games dating to 4/7… over the stretch, Yankees batters are hitting .293 (128-for-437) with 26 doubles and 21HR (tied for MLB HR lead), outscoring their opposition 71-40… Yankees starters have posted a 2.85 ERA (79.0IP, 25ER) — fourth best in the Majors and second-best in the AL over the stretch — with 21BB, 63K and an 8-1 record.
GARDY PARTY: OF Brett Gardner has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games since 4/7… over his last 10 games since 4/9, is batting .341 (15-for-44) with 7R, 4 doubles, 1 triple, 1HR, 8RBI and 4BB… has also hit safely in each of his last eight games and with a hit tonight at Tampa Bay, would tie Kevin Youkilis for the longest hitting streak by a Yankee this season (9G, 4/1-12).
COMFY CONFINES: OF Vernon Wells went 7-for-15 with 4R, 2HR and 3RBI over the three-game series at Toronto this weekend (4/19-21)… pplayed in 1,393G with Toronto from 1999-2010, batting .280 (1,529-for-5,470) with 789R, 223HR and 813RBI.
BECAUSE THE NIGHT: Yankees pitchers are 7-2 with a 2.68 ERA (84.0IP, 25ER) in nine night games this season… are 3-5 with a 5.58 ERA (71.0IP, 44ER) in eight day games in 2013.
Yankees meet the Blue Jays, north of the border
The Yankees and the Blue Jays are scheduled for their first meeting of the season this weekend up at Rogers Centre, and – not counting their Spring Training battles – the three-game showdown will offer the reassembled Yanks lineup their first up-close look at the Toronto squad, a club that was picked by many to run away with the American League East after leading the division in winter noise.
“We know they’re a team in our division and they’ve been a club that before their additions were tough to me,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “They have a lot of guys that hit the ball out of the ballpark, they added some speed and some defense, and they’ve added to their rotation. And the additions to the rotation is experienced guys; it’s not a bunch of young kids. I am curious to see what they look like.”
Here are the probable starters for the weekend series, with the corresponding links to previews and lineup information when available:
- Friday 4/19: LHP Andy Pettitte (2-0, 1.20) vs. RHP Brandon Morrow (0-1, 4.60) — 7:07 p.m. ET, YES
- Saturday 4/20: RHP Hiroki Kuroda (2-1, 2.87) vs. LHP Mark Buehrle (1-0, 7.31) — 1:07 p.m. ET, YES
- Sunday 4/21: RHP Ivan Nova (1-1, 5.59) vs. RHP Josh Johnson (0-1, 6.91) — 1:07 p.m. ET, YES
Mark Teixeira cleared to resume swinging bat
Mark Teixeira saw a doctor yesterday and was cleared to take underwater bat swings in the therapy pool at Yankee Stadium. Since his right wrist came through with no problems, Teixeira is advancing to dry swings – without contact, but also dry in the literal sense – this afternoon, 20 from each side of the plate.
Teixeira still believes he can be back sometime in May, and he plans to be with the Yankees until they go to Tampa. He’ll continue his rehab there, as he is now in the beginning stages of a deliberate process that will go from dry swings to hitting off a tee, hitting soft toss, indoor batting practice, on-field batting practice and then finally game action.
The main concern is how his wrist will respond to the left-handed swings, and it’s too early to even begin worrying about check swings and other elements out of Teixeira’s control. But for the moment, all of the news is positive.
In case you were wondering how a player takes underwater swings, I asked that question. The Yankees have a SwimEx pool behind the scenes at the Stadium; Teixeira said the water was filled about to his chest and then he took swings in there. It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like.
Other early notes and news as the Yankees prepare to take on the D-backs:
- Andy Pettitte came through yesterday’s bullpen fine. He’s on track to start Friday.
- This shouldn’t be a shock to anyone, but Joe Girardi gave his firmest indication yet that Francisco Cervelli is the Yanks’ starting catcher. Girardi said that he plans to keep catching him three or four of every five days. Girardi said that Cervelli’s at-bats have been really good and, as long as he continues playing well, he’ll see more duty behind the plate.
- Michael Pineda threw a 35-pitch batting practice session yesterday in Tampa, split into two parts, and looked sharper than he did in his first two BP sessions. Lefty Cesar Cabral also threw a scoreless inning in an Extended Spring Training game around a Delmon Young single.
- Derek Jeter progress report from Tampa: More of the same today. Ground balls and batting practice.
- The Yankees have Vernon Wells back in the No. 2 spot and Robinson Cano hitting third with the D-backs set to start lefty Wade Miley tonight. Girardi said his lineups will remain fluid because the Yankees don’t have some of the players they expected to.
- The aforementioned Yankees lineup – Gardner CF, Wells LF, Cano 2B, Youkilis 1B, Francisco DH, Cervelli C, Boesch RF, Nunez SS, Nix 3B, Sabathia LHP.
The soundtrack of Yankee Stadium
On nights like last night, when the Yankees played Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” in tribute to those affected by the tragedies at the Boston Marathon, the music that comes through the public address system at Yankee Stadium can serve as a poignant tribute. Diamond himself tweeted his appreciation to the Yankees for playing the song, which has become a fan favorite at Fenway Park:
Thank you NY Yankees for playing ‘Sweet Caroline’ for the people of Boston. You scored a home run in my heart. With respect, Neil #OneBoston
— Neil Diamond (@NeilDiamond) April 17, 2013
It’s certainly not on the same emotional scale as what we saw last night, but some of the most common requests I have received over the years via e-mail – and, later, Twitter – have been about player music.
For example, we all know Mariano Rivera’s entrance song is Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” (in case you missed it, check out this story I did in Sept. 2011 about why that is), and will be until the day he hangs up his cutter.
The ‘batting stings’ up and down the Yankees lineup, however, seem to change every year and often more frequently than that. I reached out to the Yankees’ scoreboard department last week to try to organize an updated 2013 track listing for the hitters. I tweeted a few out last night and am pleased to pass the full list along to you here. Happy downloading!
Brett Gardner – “Guitar Slinger” by Crossin Dixon
Robinson Cano – “Started from the Bottom” by Drake
Kevin Youkilis – “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” by Soulja Boy
Travis Hafner – “Symphony of Destruction” by Megadeth
Vernon Wells – “Awesome God” by R. Swift
Ichiro Suzuki – “Drop it Like It’s Hot” by Snoop
Francisco Cervelli – “Pegaito Suavecito” by “Various Artists”
Lyle Overbay – (has not yet selected a song)
Jayson Nix – “No-Leaf Clover” by Metallica
Brennan Boesch – “Blueprint” by Jay-Z
Chris Stewart – “Forsaken” by Skillet
Ben Francisco – “Da Rockwilder” by Method Man & Redman
Eduardo Nunez – “Ella Ta To” by Chimbala
Bryan Hoch
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