Yankees pitcher David Phelps has had elbow problems for 3 or 4 weeks

Calling this year’s Yankees pitching staff a MASH unit is underselling the severity of their issues. If this pitching staff were a MASH unit, it would be a MASH unit that got blown to smithereens by Korean artillery.

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David Phelps became the latest Yankee pitcher to come down with problems, leaving Sunday night’s game vs. the Red Sox with elbow inflammation. Except, Phelps didn’t exactly “come down” with his problem Sunday night. According to Joe Girardi, Phelps has been dealing with elbow issues for 3 or 4 weeks.

Girardi revealed (via ESPN.com) that Phelps had an MRI after a start against Cincinnati on July 18 that came back clean. So, the Yankees decided that Phelps could keep on pitching through the pain. That plan worked until Sunday night. Girardi said:

"“We thought it was something we could manage, and he was managing,” Girardi said. “He was pitching well. It was just inflammation. But today, for whatever reason, it bothered him.”"

The Yankees’ very tired-out team doctors will examine Phelps and decide what needs to be done. If recent history is any indication, Phelps will be shut down for at least a short period of time.

If he does go down, Phelps would become the fifth Yankees starter to be felled by injury this year. Ivan Nova, Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda and CC Sabathia have already hit the dirt, and Nova and Sabathia won’t be back this year. Tanaka and Pineda still have a shot to pitch in 2014, though it’s not looking that good for either of them.

Your 2014 New York Yankees. Just a disaster.

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