The New York Yankees are in pursuit of the postseason and the one thing they could not afford was an injury at the pitching position. The team has already lost four starting pitchers since the start of training camp, two being for the entire season. Now the team could be down a fifth pitcher after David Phelps exited with an elbow injury over the weekend. After not adding a marquee pitcher prior to the trade deadline, will the Yankees make a move before it is too late?
Phelps left his Sunday start against the Boston Red Sox after pitching just two innings. The team ruled it "right elbow inflammation" which is something no fan wants to hear considering the losses in the pitching rotation to date. Manager Joe Girardi told the media that they were uncertain of the severity of the injury to Phelps considering he has been dealing with the inflammation for about four weeks and still pitching. A previous MRI came back clean earlier in July, but the team might not get lucky this time.
Girardi remained hopeful that this injury is not season-ending for Phelps. The team has already lost CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova for the remainder of the year. They are hopeful to get back both Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda in the coming weeks to help with the back-half of the season.
"We thought it was something we could manage, and he was managing," Girardi said, via ESPNNewYork.com. "He was pitching well. It was just inflammation. But today, for whatever reason, it bothered him. I believe he's going to pitch again. But he might need a little time out."
The Yankees do not have time. They are chasing the American League wild card and have a chance to gain ground in the upcoming seven-game home stand that begins Monday. Losing Phelps is a big hit to the overall plan. The team has Brandon McCarthy and Chris Capuano who were late-season additions, but do they need to make another trade before it is too late?
The New York Post is reporting that the Yankees are not going to jump on any moves just yet, waiting to see if Tanaka and Pineda are healthy in a quick period of time. However, they could make a move for a Philadelphia Phillies pitcher like AJ Burnett or Cole Hamels if things get desperate. Both pitchers survived the trade deadline, but numerous MLB sources believe they could be dealt as teams prep for the postseason.
The timetable for Tanaka and Pineda is unknown, but the Yankees are hoping it is sooner rather than later. Phelps is a young arm that has promise. New York will be careful with how quickly they rotate him back in.
