A-Rod Is A Pain in the A..Hip

I'm a little late to the party with this one, but things have been a little crazy the last couple of days. So just when you thought it was safe to get back on the left side of the infield Alex Rodriguez has joined Derek Jeter on the "Damn that hurts like hell" list.

A-Rod who had surgery for a torn labrum in his right hip prior to the 2009 season, will miss a good chunk of the upcoming season after he undergoes similar surgery on his left hip. Additionally. A-Rod will have a cyst removed and a bone impingement corrected.

Prior to the surgery, A-Rod will undergo a four to six week strengthening program on the hip. He's then expected to miss four to six months. The injury could explain A-Rod's less than stellar performance in the 2012 playoffs, and in fact A-Rod complained to Joe Girardi about his right hip bothering him and thought it was affecting his play.  A-Rod got a clean bill of healthfor the his previously surgically repaired leg checked, but the same could not be said for his left hip.

It would appear that the Yankees kept things quiet so they could obtain another infielder without overpaying a free agent or giving up too much in a trade. The thing that Yankees fans would really like to know though is why the surgery wasn't already performed.

A-Rod's injury may also be the reason the Yankees weren't willing to match or better the Pittsburgh Pirates contract offer to catcher Russell Martin. Rodriguez returned on May 8 after his 2009 surgery and homered off the first pitch he saw from Baltimore's Jeremy Guthrie. Cody Ransom held down the fort until A-Rod's return and did not stand out. With a much longer absence expected this time, GM Brian Cashman will need to find a better alternative than a Ransom-type player and it could be somewhat costly -translation, no extra cash for Martin.

Word is the Yankees are taking to free agent Kevin Youkilis, who spent 8 1/2 years with the Boston Red Sox before a trade to the Chicago White Sox at the 2012 trade deadline. Youkilis is hated by most Yankees fans, but if he were to come to the Bronx and contribute, he could turn the fans in his favor just as Wade Boggs did over a decade ago. The only dilemma would be if Joba Chamberlain could avoid beaning him in the head during batting practice.

Youkilis was at his best from 2008-2010 when his OPS ranged from .958 to .971. The last two seasons have been injury plagued and much less productive. He did show improvement when he joined Chicago and produced 15 HR and 46 RBI in 80 games. Youkilis would also be able back up to Mark Teixeira at first base.

Pineda To Miss 2012..WHAT???

While I was out chasing that little white ball around this afternoon, the Yankees were informing the press that Micheal Pineda will miss the entire 2012 season due to a torn labrum.

I remember the day I heard of the trade that sent Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi to Seattle for Pineda and a prospect. I was sad to see Montero go, but ecstatic to get a young stud pitcher like Pineda. Now I sit here wondering if Pineda has a future.

According to mlb.com's Bryan Hoch, Pineda will undergo arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday to repair the anterior labral tear. The operation will be performed by Dr. David Altchek (with assistance from Yankees' team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad) at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC.

Now the first thing you are thinking is, "Did Seattle send damaged goods?" Brian Cashman emphatically told the press "No" when queried on the subject.

"We had the opportunity to do a full physical exam, which we did, which came out clean. Michael has never had a shoulder issue nor has he complained of one with the Mariners, nor has he ever had any tests on the shoulder with the Mariners. This is just an unfortunate circumstance that can happen. It happened."

Cashman also reported on Pineda's current mental state:

"He's down. I can tell you that obviously he's someone with a bright future that has a lot of things going through his mind about what his future is going to be. He'll get the best medical care possible." 

Pineda raised eyebrows when he reported to Spring Training overweight and lacked velocity on his fastball. Normally lighting up the radar gun in the mid-90's and occassionally higher, Pineda's not-so-fast fastball was clocked at 90-91 mph and didn't improve as camp went on.

It wasn't until he was forced to leave a game against the Phillies on March 30, that the Yankees learned Pineda had been troubled by a sore shoulder for weeks. Afraid of losing out on a spot in the rotation, Pineda kept his mouth shut and tried to pitch past the pain, which was originally evaluated as tendinitis. When Pineda had a bullpen session shut down due to pain this past weekend, the Yankees sent him for an MRI with contrast and that's when the tear was discovered.

The Yankees are optomistic that Pineda will make a full recovery and be back on the mound in a year's time. (Based on what we know from Michael's MRI scan, there is a discrete tear," Ahmad said. "We do feel that tear can be repaired arthroscopically. Based on that, we're optimistic that we can get him recovered."). In the meantime, the Yankees will count on Andy Pettitte's comeback to fill the hole left by Pineda and the ineffective performance, thus far, by Freddy Garcia.

Breaking News: A-Rod to have Surgery

It is now official, Alex Rodriguez will have surgery on his ailing hip tomorrow and is expected to miss 6-9 weeks. He'll need additional surgery once the season is over.

Tomorrow's surgery will be arthroscopic and will repair the torn labrum.

(Dr. Mark) Philippon is confident in the “85-90 pecent range” that Rodriguez will be able to play through the entire regular season.

“I firmly believe this approach will be successful and allow Alex to return,” Philippon said. “We’ve had very good success with this approach. Short term, we feel the risk is very limited that he will re-tear his labrum during that six-, seven-month period.”

“Because of all the test findings, analysis, the function of Alex, I feel it’s in his best interest to have his labrum repaired, remove part of his impingement and therefore stabilize his labrum,” he said. “The goal here is to allow Alex to rehab rapidly in a safe manner.”

Learn more about hip arthroscopy.

Can A-Rod Play Thru the Pain?

Hold your scalpels. A-Rod may not need surgery after all. In Brian Cashman's (WFAN has it) press conference this afternoon, he brought up the possibility of A-Rod trying to play through the pain.

A-Rod felt stiffness in his hip and was having trouble getting loose during his daily stretching. That led to further stiffness in his hip when he tried to bat. That's when the Yankees took an MRI, which showed changes from an MRI that was on done on the leg last season.

A-Rod had the cyst (one of significant size) drained of fluid, and had his range of motion measured before and after. The Yankees will continue to monitor A-Rod's range of motion, amount of pain, etc., as they determine whether or not to go forward with surgery.

"We're taking it one day at a time"- Brian Cashman discussing A-Rod's injury

You only have to think back to Jorge Posada last season to realize what a crucial decision this is. Posada tried to play through the pain in his shoulder, was unable to, and then missed the majority of the season.

Do you start the season with A-Rod playing and risk further injury? Do you take the hit early and go ahead with surgery or do you end up with a situation similar to that of Posada last year?

Brian Cashman, the medical, staff, and, of course, A-Rod have a lot of thinking and talking to do in the weeks ahead.

Cashman - A-Rod could be out 4 Months!

The news has gotten a whole lot worse. Sweeny Murti just reported on WFAN that Alex Rodriguez could be out up to 4 months. That news from Brian Cashman, who informed reporters that A-Rod has a torn labrum in his hip.

The Yankees just went from Cody Ransom to being held for ransom to acquire a better player.