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Injury Updates: Sabathia, Beltran, Kelley

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The Yankees open their three-game series with the Twins in a few hours, but first here are some more injury updates courtesy of Bryan Hoch, Chad Jennings, and Jeff Roberts:

  • Carlos Beltran (elbow) took batting practice on the field today and felt no discomfort. It seems increasingly likely he will avoid surgery. Beltran will need to play in some minor league rehab games before rejoining the team. He won’t do anything more than DH at first.
  • Shawn Kelley (back) threw his first bullpen session since hitting the disabled list today and everything went fine. He’ll need a minor league rehab outing or two before rejoining the club.
  • CC Sabathia (knee) will visit the doctor today and they’ll determine the next step in his rehab process. Joe Girardi said everything is going well so far.

Injury Updates: Teixeira, Pineda, Beltran, Kelley

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The best part of Spring Training is the photos. (Brian Blanco/Getty)
The best part of Spring Training is the photos. (Brian Blanco/Getty)

Here are some injury updates on the off-day, courtesy of George King, Chad Jennings, and Andrew Marchand:

  • Mark Teixeira (wrist) will visit his surgeon in New York today and have an ultrasound. He hasn’t played since Sunday and an MRI is not planned unless other tests show something. “I was hoping I’d wake up this morning and feel nothing. There’s still some soreness in there,” said Teixeira yesterday. “Hopefully the extra day off tomorrow will help, and hopefully I’m back in there on Friday.”
  • Michael Pineda (back/shoulder) is scheduled to pitch in an intrasquad game in Tampa on Sunday. He threw two innings in Extended Spring Training on Tuesday, so he’s on a regular five-day schedule. If Sunday’s outing goes well, Pineda could soon begin an official minor league rehab assignment.
  • Carlos Beltran (elbow) will hit off a tee and soft toss with hitting coach Kevin Long at Yankee Stadium today. He rested yesterday after swinging a bat on Monday (fungo) and Tuesday (full-size bat).
  • Shawn Kelley (back) played catch again yesterday and felt fine. He will get back on a mound and throw a bullpen session on Friday.

Update (3:17pm): Teixeira has only inflammation in his wrist and is day-to-day, the Yankees announced following his visit to the doctor this afternoon. The team also says Beltran took 25 swings from each side of the plate and felt no discomfort in his elbow. He will do the same thing tomorrow.

Injury Updates: Beltran, Teixeira, Kelley

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Got some injury updates leading up to this afternoon’s series opener against the Cardinals, courtesy of the various reporters with the team:

  • Carlos Beltran (elbow) took 15 swings with a fungo bat and everything went well, believe it or not. Didn’t see that coming. He will take swings with a regular bat tomorrow. Good first step, but obviously Beltran is not out of the woods yet.
  • Mark Teixeira (wrist) was scratched from this afternoon’s lineup with stiffness. Joe Girardi said it has been bugging him for a few days but it is considered minor and there are no tests scheduled. They are hopeful Teixeira will play tomorrow.
  • Shawn Kelley (back) played catch at 75 feet today and felt fine. Of course, he played catch last week and felt fine until he woke up with renewed soreness the next day. Kelley will play catch again in the coming days.

Shawn Kelley shut down following setback

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Shawn Kelley has been shut down after waking up with more stiffness in his back, according to the various reporters with the Yankees. Tests did come back clean, but they have halted his rehab and will proceed slowly.

Kelley was set to play catch this week, pitch in a minor league rehab game within the next few days, then rejoin the team either over the weekend or early next week. Back issues have a way of lingering, so this might be more than a few extra days. Adam Warren and Dellin Betances will remain David Robertson’s primary setup men for the time being.

Injury Updates: Beltran, Pineda, Kelley

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(Leon Halip/Getty)
(Leon Halip/Getty)

Got some injury updates to pass along, courtesy of Chad Jennings and Meredith Marakovits:

  • Carlos Beltran (elbow) received a second cortisone injection and will see Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion on Tuesday. The second opinion was apparently always scheduled, but the second injection indicates the first isn’t helping much. It’s looking more and more likely Beltran is heading for surgery.
  • Michael Pineda (shoulder) threw a 28-pitch bullpen session this afternoon as scheduled, and everything went fine. He will rest the next two days, then throw a 30-40 pitch bullpen session on Wednesday. Big Mike will start facing hitters after that, presumably in live batting practice or a simulated game.
  • Shawn Kelley (back) will play catch on Monday and Tuesday, throw a bullpen session on Wednesday, then make a minor league rehab appearance on Friday. He hopes to be activated off the 15-day DL and rejoin the team next Sunday.

Yanks place Kelley on DL, call up Zoilo Almonte

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(Jared Wickerham/Getty)
(Jared Wickerham/Getty)

The Yankees have placed Shawn Kelley on the 15-day DL with a “strained lumbar spine,” the team announced. Outfielder Zoilo Almonte was called up from Triple-A Scranton to fill the roster spot. The DL stint is back-dated to last Tuesday, so Kelley is eligible to be activated one week from Wednesday. The Yankees currently have a six-man bullpen (assuming Al Aceves is starting Thursday) and a five-man bench. Weird.

Kelley, 30, missed a few games last week with tightness in his lower back. It apparently went away over the weekend — he warmed up in Sunday’s game but did not pitch — but returned yesterday. He was not available last night. In 16 games and 15.1 innings this season, Kelley has a 3.52 ERA and 2.38 FIP. He has a long history of elbow problems (two Tommy John surgeries) but this is his first back trouble.

Almonte, 24, will give the team some extra outfield depth now that Carlos Beltran has a bone spur in his elbow and Ichiro Suzuki’s back is sore. The Yankees aren’t going to carry a six-man bullpen forever, and with Chase Whitley in line to be called up on Thursday, Almonte’s stint in pinstripes may be short lived. He has hit .273/.324/.470 (121 wRC+) with six homers in 33 Triple-A games this season.

With Kelly out, Adam Warren will likely take over as David Robertson’s primary setup man. Dellin Betances also figures to take on some more responsibility as well. The only Triple-A pitchers who are currently on the 40-man roster are Jose Ramirez and Shane Greene, so the Yankees are running out of arms. Hopefully Kelley returns next week and we never hear of his sore back again.

Shawn Kelley day-to-day with continued back tightness

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Shawn Kelley was not available for tonight’s day due to lingering tightness in his back, Joe Girardi announced. “He does not have the flexibility to finish his pitches,” said the skipper. No tests are planned at the moment. Kelley did warm up in yesterday’s game, but apparently something is still not right. With David Robertson married to save situations, the bullpen is really short right now.