The Bronx Daily

Will Joba's Injury End The Yankee Season?

When Joba Chamberlain left last night's game with stiffness in his right shoulder, all I could do was wonder if this signaled the end of the Yankee season. The Yankees have sent Joba back to New York for tests and they've said he'll miss at least his next start. If those tests uncover something more serious than just stiffness and he misses more than a few starts, the Yankees might as well fold their tents and call it a season.

The Yankees failure to make a deal for a pitcher before the non-waiver trade deadline only magnifies what happened to Joba last night. Now, with a big weekend series in Anaheim coming up, the Yankee rotation looks like David going up against Goliath.  Of course, David ended up slaying Goliath. I'm not so sure "David" will be as victorious this time around, however.

The next couple of days will be critical for Yankees Universe. They will signal either an outside chance of October baseball in the Bronx, or a good chance that, for the first time in twelve years, the Yankees and their fans will be saying "Wait 'till next year."

Johnny Damon Hurt

The injuries continue to mount for the Yankees as Johnny Damon hurt his shoulder as he crashed into the wall on a play in todays game against the Red Sox. X-Rays were negative and he will undergo an MRI.

It is uncertain how long he will be out but it is another loss for the Yankees who have been decimated with injuries this season. The Bronx Daily will keep you up to date on his condition.

Wang Could Miss Rest of Season

Yankees ace pitcher Chien-Ming Wang will miss at least 8 weeks and could miss the entire season with a mid-foot sprain of the Lisfranc ligament of the right foot and a partial tear of the peroneal longus tendon of the right foot. He will spend 6 weeks in a protective boot then will begin to rehab and try to get his body back to pitching shape.

This is a major blow to the Yankees rotation as 3 of the 5 starters that began the season with the Yankees are injured. "You wonder, 'Why?'" Girardi said Sunday. "It makes you stronger as a club and as individuals. You've got to find ways to get things done. We were without Alex for a while, [Derek] Jeter and Posada. You have to find a way."

The Yankees have not named a replacement in the rotation yet. This is living proof of why pitchers should not hit!

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Wang Update

The plague of 2008 continued today as Chien-Ming Wang injured his foot running the bases. Manager Joe Girardi said he would be shocked if Wang makes his next start and the team's ace traveled home with the team with his foot in a cast and him on crutches.

Wang will undergo an MRI tomorrow which will show the extent of the injury and should give the team an idea how long he will be out.

Ian Kennedy to the DL

If the New York Yankees opened a hospital, they would be out of beds. Rookie right hander Ian Kennedy will join Phil Hughes on the disabled list as a mild strain to his right lat forced him out of the game last evening in The Yankees 10-9 loss in Baltimore.

He felt the injury in the third inning and tried to pitch through it. He wanted to go back out for the fourth but the pain was too bad. "I was just trying to take deep breaths, and after a couple of seconds, it went away," Kennedy said. "It allowed me to throw another pitch and I got two outs, so I just tried to get through that inning. I was trying whether to decide to say anything and it was just too painful to go through."

Now the speculation turns to moving Joba Chamberlain to the rotation now to replace Kennedy instead of moving him gradually as had been the original plan. All Joe Girardi would say on the subject is "We'll have to have discussions to see." As a Yankees fan, I do not see any other choice unless some sort of trade or signing happens.

Girardi also said he was not giving up on either Kennedy or Phil Hughes saying, "It's not what you like to see, but you know that injuries are part of the game. When you look at Phil's, it's a strange injury. He'll be back and Ian will be back. We'll get them going."

Good to hear. Both pitchers have huge upsides and the Yankees will need them to live up to expectations if they hope to compete.

Is it just me or is anyone wondering why we would not have traded one of these guys for Johan Santana?

Wang OK, Should Start Next Game

The brightest spot in the New York Yankees rotation in 2008 has been Chien-Ming Wang. So when Yankees fans heard he had injured his calf, everyone gasped. Fortunately, he had his normal bullpen session and said he felt fine. The Yankees will proceed with caution but he should be able to make his next scheduled start on Saturday.

Wang will run on Friday and attempt to cover first base. As long as there are no setbacks, he will pitch. Every Yankees fan hopes he is fine!

Phil Hughes Out Until July

The news was not good again today for the New York Yankees. Top pitching prospect Phil Hughes who was put on the disabled list with a strained oblique found out today that the injury was more serious. Hughes will miss until at least July as he has a stress fracture in his 9th rib that he sustained coughing last week.

The Yankees will need to figure out their pitching staff and moving Joba Chamberlain to the rotation may come to the forefront. It will be interesting to see what transpires!

The DL Adds Another

Phil Hughes joined the disabled list today with a strained right oblique. Hughes has struggled mightily so far this season giving up 22 earned runs in 22 innings going 0-4. Brian Cashman said of Hughes' future after the injury, "Clearly, we have a player who we have high hopes for in the long term. We'll evaluate what's best for him based on that."

Darrell Rasner, who is 4-0 with a 0.87 ERA, will be the likely replacement for Hughes. He was the International League's pitcher of the week for the period of April 21-27 for Triple A Scranton.

Rodriguez Goes on the Shelf

A grade two quad strain has put Alex Rodriguez on the 15 day disabled list. Rodriguez has been hampered by this strain and finally said he needed rest. Joe Girardi decided it was best to give him some extra time and put him on the DL.

The bad news just keeps coming for the Yankees faithful. Hopefully this will all be done now and the team can pick it up and make a run at the playoffs with a healthy squad in a few weeks with Jorge Posada and A-Rod back!

Roster, Bruney and Posada Updates

Joe Girardi played musical rosters today as he called Edwar Ramirez from triple A and optioned Chris Britton. "He gives us a different look," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "He's got the great changeup and Edwar has had plenty of experience up here as well over the last year. He's back."

Brian Bruney is trying to avoid surgery which would cost him the 2008 season and is wearing a protective boot to guard an injury to the Lisfranc joint of his right foot. The reliever slipped and fell while attempting to cover first base in the seventh inning of the Yankees' 9-5 victory at Chicago on April 22. He hopes to wear it for a month then be able to rehab and rejoin the team.

Bruney said he had another MRI taken on Monday after a visit with Dr. Martin O'Malley in New York, the third physician with whom he has sought consultation. The first two doctors recommended surgery, but Bruney insists that he does not even feel pain when he wears the boot, though he is limping a little bit as he gets adjusted to carrying the extra weight around.

"I'm going to keep going to doctors until somebody tells me I can [pitch]," Bruney said. I think he is just putting off the inevitable.

Catcher Jorge Posada was back with the Yankees today after traveling  to Alabama on Monday for an afternoon visit with noted sports orthopedist Dr. James Andrews. He is waiting for the results which he hopes to receive Wednesday.

"Until all the doctors weigh in, I'm not going to guess and speculate," Posada said in a statement released through the team. "When they give me concrete information, I'll be sure to share it with [reporters]."

The team including Joe Girardi is optimistic that Jorge will be back this season. Girardi believes the MRI will show no major structural damage. Only time will tell!