Just when you think the team is healthy and ready to go on a tear...
and Alex Rodriguez has tendinitis of the right hip flexor.
Arod's new injury supposedly has nothing to do with last year's surgery (which he recovered unbelievably quickly from), though compensating for the other injury can't be ruled out.
Start the joke machine... the treatment for tendinitis is (drumroll, please)... steroids! (specifically cortisone).
I'm not a doctor; I don't know if or how this recurrence of the injury might be related to Arod's injury, recovery, admitted steroid use, alleged HGH use, connection to Anthony Galea, time spent admiring centaur photos, or the position of Mars as it transits Scorpio.
But the conspiracy theorist in me hears a five bell alarm.
Gritty Gutty Brett Gardner is down with a sore thumb. If I told you in 2008 that there's this superfast outfielder at AAA able to be a major force in the Yankees, but he's going to miss time in consecutive seasons due to injury. Would you have picked fingers as the area of concern? Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful it's not his hammy or a knee or an ankle. Cervelli works in mysterious ways.
Speaking of Cervelli working in mysterious ways, he's hitting .194/.307/.222 over the last month.
I'll give him this: I never thought the Frisco Kid would walk as much as he does.
While the Yanks don't have a more legit option at DH, I like the defensive advantage of Cervelli behind the dish and Posada DH better than the offensive advantage of Thames at DH and Posada behind the plate.
But until Posada is catching every day again, we might as well put a stop to all 'Wez can have Lance Berkmanzz?' talk. Or any other DH you'd care to name.
One more reason to kill the trade talk: Via Cot's, we know the Yankee payroll was already an Opening Day record $213M. Is there more space in that tent? Sure, we'd all love one more superstar to make us feel like the World Series trophy was on layout until October, but the value of a marginal win at the top end does very little to translate into playoff success.