New York Yankees Will Activate Andy Pettitte From DL Monday

Andy Pettitte will return to the Yankees rotation on Monday, in search of career victory number 250. (Image Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports)

Andy Pettitte will be activated from the disabled list on Monday by the New York Yankees and will start that evening against the Cleveland Indians, according to Andrew Marchand at ESPNNY.com. The 40 year old has been on the DL since mid-May with a strained muscle in his neck.

It’s unclear who’ll be sent out in order to make room for Pettitte. Vidal Nuno appears to be the most likely candidate to be optioned back to Triple-A.

Pettitte is one of ten Yankees that currently sit on the DL, but he’s the lone representative from the team’s expected starting rotation. The team’s overcome various challenges offensively, filling in gaps with part time players who’ve generally exceeded expectations, but it’s rotation has remained largely in tact and has been part of the reason behind the team’s early season success. The return of Pettitte should only help that cause. He’d thrown 49.1 IP on the year over 8 starts before landing on the sidelines – posting a 4-3 record, 3.83 ERA, and 1.297 WHIP over that stretch.

The long time Yankee southpaw has seemingly struggled to remain healthy over the past few seasons, having not made more than 21 starts since 2010 with the Houston Astros. He’d spent the 2011 season in retirement before returning with the Yankees last season. He was limited to just 12 starts on the year, in which he was 5-4 with a 2.87 ERA over 75.1 IP, as a result of a freak incident in which he broke a bone in his leg.

Pettitte will turn 41 in mid-June and is nearing the end of his tenure in the Major Leagues. His next victory will be the 250th of his career – one that to many is a Hall of Fame worthy career. Both Pettitte and the Yankees have to be hoping that this is the last setback along the way, as it’d be nice to see Pettitte be allowed to walk away on his own terms rather than seeing things ended up another injury.