New York Yankees starter Michael Pineda likely out until August
When New York Yankees starting pitcher Michael Pineda suffered a setback in his recovery from a shoulder injury that has had him on the DL since May 6, it was hoped he’d only need a couple of more weeks.
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No such luck for the Yankees, as their luck with the former Mariners prospect continues to trend downward.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi told ESPNNewYork.com’s Wallace Matthews that Pineda was likely to be out until August, possibly longer.
"“I would think August is probably realistic,” Girardi said, adding that Pineda most likely won’t pick up a baseball for another week and will likely need about six weeks after he does to return.“Usually, they talk about doubling [the period of inactivity] when there’s a setback,” Girardi added about Pineda experiencing soreness in his back. “Then, you have to build him up again. That’s the problem.”"
This is not the news that Girardi and the Yankees were hoping for.
Pineda was 2-2 with a 1.83 ERA in four starts before he was handed a 10-game suspension for a pine tar “incident” (his second this season) on April 23 in Boston.
When Pineda first suffered the shoulder strain, initial tests indicated it wasn’t a serious injury, but this second setback has really put the Yanks in a bind in their starting rotation which is already missing CC Sabathia.
This is yet another in a sordid history of injury problems for Pineda, and one has to wonder if he’ll really ever be able to pitch an entire season without going down for an extended time.