David Robertson to New York Yankees DL; Rafael Soriano to Close

David Robertson has been placed on the New York Yankees 15-day disabled list with a strained oblique muscle.  Robertson had been unavailable since making his last appearance on May 11, and following an MRI and X-rays the Yankees decided to put Robertson on their DL to allow him to fully recover.  New York has named former late-inning reliever Rafael Soriano as their closer for the time being.

Robertson took over closing duties when future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera suffered his season-ending knee injury.  Since officially taking over the role of Yankees closer, Robertson allowed four runs on four hits and three walks over his 3 1/3 innings of work.  All four runs did come in one game, but Robertson looked shaky in two of his four appearances since Rivera’s injury.

The Yankees knew of Robertson’s injury following his last appearance, May 11 against the Seattle Mariners.  However, New York was able to keep this under wraps until Rafael Soriano came out to close Monday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles.

After the game, manager Joe Girardi told reporters that Robertson had been unavailable while nursing an oblique/ribcage injury.  While oblique injuries tend to linger, Robertson initially said he wasn’t worried about missing significant time due to the discomfort.

Now that the Yankees have place Robertson on the shelf, Soriano will take over as the club’s closer.  Soriano certainly has experience in such a role, as the right-hander has compiled 92 saves over his career including his 45-save season with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010.

Over his 14 appearances this season, Soriano has maintained an ERA and WHIP of 2.57 and 1.571 over his 14 innings pitched.

For more on the Yankees be sure to check out Yanks Go Yard.

You can follow Call to the Pen on Twitter at @FSCalltothePen or like us here on Facebook.