Michael Pineda Placed on Yankees DL with Shoulder Tendinitis

The New York Yankees have announced that starting pitcher Michael Pineda has been diagnosed with tendinitis in his throwing shoulder.  New York has placed Pineda on their 15-day disabled list, and manager Joe Girardi has said the 23-year-old will be shut down for 10-15 days.  This means that Pineda will likely be sidelined for at least the first month of the season.

Concerns over Pineda’s drop off in velocity surfaced early this spring.  Still, the right-hander was able to post decent numbers through most of the exhibition season.  This changed when he was rocked Friday by the Philadelphia Phillies for six runs over 2 2/3 innings.

After his poor performance, Pineda told the Yankees that he was experiencing discomfort in his throwing shoulder.  New York scheduled an MRI yesterday morning, and the tendinitis was revealed.

While having Pineda spend the first month of the regular season on the DL is less than ideal, the situation could have been far worse for the Yankees.  The verdict could have been that season ending surgery was required.

Instead, Pineda will rest his arm for 10-15 days before being re-evaluated.  Pineda’s injury made selecting a starting five an easy task for manager Joe Girardi.  The Yankees skipper said that New York will enter the season with C.C. Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova and Freddy Garcia pitching in that order.

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