Steinbrenners to Introduce GeorgeCare

A view you may not see again this year.

Yankees' Managing General Partner Hal Steinbrenner announced earlier today that the team is rolling out new healthcare legislation, "GeorgeCare", due to the rash of injuries the team has suffered this season. The new legislation will allow the Yankees to carry a 50-man active roster and fans will receive rebates every time Matt Thornton pitches or Kelly Johnson bobbles a ball at first base.

All kidding aside, the Yankees are a physical mess right now and there is no hope in sight for a healthy turnaround.

The death knell to the season may have come when it was discovered that Masahiro Tanaka had a slight tear of his Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL). Tanaka will be out a minimum of six weeks, and Tommy John surgery has not been ruled out of his future.

The injury leaves Hiroki Kuroda as the only starting pitcher left from the five man rotation the Yankees hoped to trot out to the pitcher's mound.  CC Sabathia has been out since mid-May due to a degenerative knee injury; Michael Pineda was DL'ed on May 6, when he felt pain in the area below his right shoulder, and Ivan Nova, who looked to have returned to his 2011 form in the second half of last season, went down early to Tommy John surgery. And then the big blow to the season came with the loss of Tanaka, who was among the league leaders in all positive pitching categories.

Unless a decision is made prior to that, if Tanaka needs surgery and doesn't have the operation until August or September, there goes the entire 2015 season and probably part of 2016.  For now David Phelps, Shane Greene, and Brandon McCarthy are in the rotation, along with Kuroda. But who will be joining them?

Chase Whitley started out fantastically, but crashed back to Earth in his last three starts (17 earned runs in 10.1 innings pitched). He did pick up the win in relief on Wednesday when the Yankees topped the Indians 4-2 in 14 innings.

Left-hander David Huff has pitched fairly effectively out of the bullpen and is a former starter, though he has only started six games since 2011.  (Two with the Yankees last year and four with the Indians in 2012.)

The Yankees added another left-hander to the mix Friday when they acquired Jeff Francis from the Oakland A's for a player to be named later. Francis had been designated for assignment on July 3 after he had allowed nine earned runs in 13.1 innings pitched. Francis pitched through shoulder pain for the Colorado Rockies in 2008 and missed the entire 2009 season after he underwent shou7lder surgery. He's never regained the effectiveness he had in 2006-2007, when he averaged 15 wins and a 4.19 ERA, with his home games played in hitter-friendly Coors Field.

The Yankees lineup is suffering too. Carlos Beltran has been a walking disaster area. He missed time due to a bone spur in his elbow and a strained hamstring.  Then during batting practice on Wednesday, Beltran fouled a ball into the cage. It ricocheted back into his face, causing two small facial fractures. He was placed on the 7-day disabled list to check for a concussion as well. So far, the three-year deal given to Beltran is a complete bust.

The trade deadline (July 31) will be coming up before you know it. The Yankees always go for the gold, but do they sell instead this year? If their still floundering in three weeks, it might be for the best to try to deal some players. David Robertson will be a free agent after this season. He can always come back, so why not trade him to a team willing to pay a heavy price for one of the better relievers in baseball.

Though his hitting hasn't been tremendous, Brian Roberts has stayed healthy and could be traded for a minor prospect or two. See if Hiroki Kuroda is willing to waive his no-trade clause. Perhaps a reunion with the Los Angeles Dodgers could be in the offing.

Who should build/rebuild this team?

You never know when injuries will strike, but there's a greater chance with older players. Combined with the lack of top prospects at the top tier of the farm system, and you can see why it maybe time for Brian Cashman and the scouting department to be under more scrutiny. Cashman has been creative, at times, in building a team, but the putrid play the last two seasons have shown that maybe it's time someone else was the team's foreman.

The Hurts Just Keeping On Coming: Joba DL'ed

"Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww"

The Yankees had Thursday off, but that didn't keep them from making yet another roster move due to an injury. This time it was reliever Joba Chamberlain who will be sidelined at least 15 days with a strained oblique.

No corresponding move has been made to add a pitcher to the 25-man roster, but it's likely to be Cody Eppley since he's already on the 40-man roster.

David Robertson created some worry in Wednesday night's 5-4 win over the Houston Astros when he hobbled off the mound at the end of the 8th inning. Robertson said he had tweaked his hamstring, but is fine and doesn't expect to miss any action.

The Yankees added to their roster at the end of the game when they acquired infielder Chris Nelson from the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named later and/or cash. Nelson has experience at second base and third base and will fill the utility role that opened up when Jayson Nix replaced the injured Kevin Youkilis at third base.

Second baseman Corban Joseph, called up when Youkilis went down, will likely be returned to Scranton to open a spot on the 25-man roster. Room was made on the 40-man roster by moving Francisco Cervelli from the 15- to the 60-day DL.

Nelson had a breakout season for the Rockies last year when he .310-9 HR-53 RBI and sported an .810 OPS. This season he struggled (.600 OPS) and became expendable with the emergence of Josh Rutledge at second base and the recall of third base prospect Nolan Arenado (ranked as the #52 prospect by Baseball America; drove in 122 runs two years ago).

A correction on my part - I had stated that when Youkilis was injured third baseman David Adams was the favorite to fill the spot. However, I forgot to take into account that since Adams was released during Spring Training and then re-signed, he was not eligible to be added to the Major League roster until May 15.

In other injury update news - Curtis Granderson had a couple of at-bats down in Florida yesterday and would have had more had rain not stopped everything. The Yankees hope to have him back in a couple of weeks (at most). Mark Teixeira is probably not coming  back before June 1, but he has started hitting off a tee and has taken soft toss swings.

Ronnier Mustelier banged up his knee in Spring Training when he collided with a dugout railing. He's back in Scranton after completing a rehab down in Florida. Mustelier was impressive with his bat and could join the big ball club at some point this year.

Teixeira's Season Hanging By a Sheath

"It hurts when I go like this."

The Yankees 2013 season is going from bad to worse and we haven't even gotten out of March yet. 1st baseman Mark Teixeira was already expected to be out up to two months with an injured right wrist, but word is now he could have season ending surgery at some point.

GM Brian Cashman told the media that there was a 75% chance that Teixeira would not need surgery, but at this point who can rule anything out when it comes to this year's team.

Teixeira hurt the wrist while using a weighted bat off of a tee at the World Baseball Classic. The injury likely would have occurred in Yankees' camp had the WBC not existed. The exercise was just part of Teixeira's normal routine.

What's not normal is the number of injuries the Yankees have suffered before the regular season has started. Curtis Granderson (broken forearm), Phil Hughes (bulging disc in back), Boone Logan (sore elbow), Clay Rapada (bursitis), and Alex Rodriguez (hip surgery) have all suffered injuries that vary in severity. Even Cashman broke his leg and dislocated his ankle while sky diving.

Teixeira's injury may be the worst of all (possibly surpassed by A-Rod, who also may be out for the year.) since there is so much uncertainty on how the sheath is his wrist will hold up. Unlike Toronto's Jose Bautista who had the surgery last year and missed 2 1/2 months of the season, the tendon in Teixeira's wrist is stable.

With it now likely that Teixeira won't return until June, Cashman has to continue to check the waiver wire, but also make more calls to add some pop to the lineup. He already made a good move when he picked up Brennan Boesch after Detroit released the outfielder.

Fans and some pundits (i.e. Mike Francesa) are calling for the acquisition of Justin Morneau from Minnesota. Morneau had had his own injury issues over the last few years (concussions causing the most trouble), but he did play in 134 games last season and produced 19 home runs and 77 RBI. (Plus a .773 OPS). He's scheduled to make $14MM this year and will be a free agent after the season.

The Twins have averaged just 64.5 wins over the last two years, so they may be willing to deal Morneau prior to season's trade deadline. They will ask for plenty for him, but given his salary, injury history and soon-to-be free agent status, they cannot expect to get a prospect laden package in return (perhaps Cashman can deal some of the overhyped pitching prospects in the system).

Twins GM Terry Ryan could probably get a bigger return for Joe Mauer than for Morneau, but Mauer does not fit into the Yankees plans. Hopefully, sooner rather than later, Mark Teixeira will.

Who's On First? Not Mark Teixeira

The Yankees must be wishing Spring Training ended immediately. Perhaps then they could have a half-way healthy lineup to start the season.

With Derek Jeter working his way back from last October's broken ankle, Phil Hughes having to take it easy due to a bulging disc in his back, and Curtis Granderson sidelined with a broken bone in his forearm the Yankees lineup did not need to be depleted any further.  Unfortunately it has been.

Mark Teixeira was forced to leave the US entry in the World Baseball Classic due to a strained right wrist that occurred while he hit off of a tee. The news got worse on Wednesday after the Yankees sent Teixeira up to NYC to get additional testing done. The news was all bad.

Teixeira will be out a minimum of 8-10 weeks with a strained extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) tendon. The Yankees first baseman, who has the fourth most home runs in the American League since he joined the Yankees in 2009, will be completely shut down for a month. Then the work to get back in the lineup begins.

8-10 weeks is probably a conservative estimate; strong wrists are vital to a batter's (especially a power hitter) success at the plate. Nick Swisher would have just shuttled over to first base in years past, but he's in Cleveland now and the Yankees don't have many options.

Brian Cashman always likes to say he'll first look at options within the organization first, but this may be the most limited group he's had to pick from in a while. Here are the possibilities within camp and the possibilities from other organizations. (Hopefully Cashman has lost Nick Johnson's phone number.)

Travis Hafner is strictly a DH; he can't take the physical toll of playing the infield any more.

Juan Rivera played 102 games over the last three years with the Dodgers and Blue Jays, but Cashman told Mike Francesa on Wednesday that he does not consider Rivera an option.

Obviously Kevin Youkilis can play either of the corner positions, but then who fills in at third base? Jayson Nix? Some have already suggested Eduardo Nunez, but the Yankees need to stick to their guns and let him play only shortstop. His confidence on defense isn't great to begin with and they need his bat to not suffer from any defensive shortcomings.

Non-Roster Invitee (NRI) Dan Johnson is a first baseman; one that can't hit. A once promising prospects with the Oakland A's, he' bounced around Japan, the Rays, and White Sox before he accepted an invite to the Yankees' camp. In 71 games over parts of the 2010 and 2011 seasons, Johnson showed some power, but hit below .200. He is NOT the answer.

Another NRI Luke Murton has not played above Double-A, but he did slug 25 home runs for Trenton last year and had a .791 oPS.

The Yankees have been very high on David Adams, their 3rd round draft pick in 2008 and a member of the 40-man roster, but he's been sidelined all of spring training with a bad back. Adams was drafted as a second baseman,but the Yankees converted him to third base. He's also missed parts of the last three years with leg and ankle injuries, so even if he were healthy now he might have him been a long shot at best.

There's slim pickings among the remaining free agents. Aubrey Huff has had an up and down career. From 2002-2006, primarily with Tampa Bay, he averaged about 26 home runs, drove in 100 runs twice and topped the 90 mark once. In 2008 with the O's he slugged 32 and drove in 108. He struggled the following two season before a rebound with the Giants in 2011.

Last season Huff was limited to 52 games in 2012 after he injured his knee during the celebration of Matt Cain's perfect game and some anxiety issues. The 36-year old's splits were just .192/.326/.282, but he still may be worth taking a look at it.

Cashman will also be scouring the transaction wire for players released towards the end of the regular season. He did not rule out a deal for a player that has a higher upside, but he also told Francesa o that any player acquired would need to have defensive flexibility once the injured players return. Where's a Jeff Conine type when you need him? (Francesa was already campaigning for Justin Morneau; perhaps he should remember that Morneau has his own health issues, specifically concussions.)

Another obstacle is the additional playoff team in each league. With more teams in contention for a playoff spot, teams will hold onto players (e.g. potential free agents) longer than they used to.

The feeling here is that the Yankees will go with a low key solution and will only make a bigger deal if Granderson and/or Teixeira are out for much longer than expected.