Yankees injury update: Sabathia, Gardner, Kozma, Solano & more

One of the worst things about the offseason (aside from the lack of baseball), is the lack of information available about player injuries. Now that spring training games are underway, there are a lot of reports trickling in about bumps and bruises. So far, the Yankees have avoided any major or significant injuries.

Yesterday, CC Sabathia made his spring training debut against the Marlins. He threw two innings, and notched two strikeouts to go with one walk. Although his degenerative knee condition is never going to go away, Sabathia has reported that his knee is feeling good. He's done full spring training workouts (including running) that Sabathia says his body has not let him do in years. The knee brace that he switched to towards the end of last season is helping him stay balanced on the mound and he is not feeling pain when he lands. That's great news since Sabathia will more than likely be pitching for the Yankees for two more years.

After the season ended, the Yankees' hitting coach revealed that Brett Gardner suffered from wrist pain for most of the season. Fans weren't expecting Gardner to show up to spring training with a bone bruise in the other wrist, though. Gardner suffered the bone bruise during the Yankees' Wild Card game in October. Initially, Gardner indicated that he might not be ready to go by Opening Day. He seems to be on track now, though the Yankees are moving him along slowly. He actually took batting practice outside for the first time yesterday, and has said that his wrist is feeling better than it did previously. Gardner is not expected to make it into a spring training game until sometime next week.

The Yankees signed Pete Kozma to a minor-league deal over the offseason, and he reported to camp with a back injury, very reminiscent of Brendan Ryan. He finally participated in a full workout yesterday, and he could make it into his first spring training game sometime later in the week. If Kozma can stay healthy, he could stand a chance at filling the last spot on the Yankees' 25-man roster.

Donovan Solano is yet another player in spring training camp who has been dealing with back pain. A low back injury has kept him sidelined, and he is not doing any baseball activities for the time being. There doesn't seem to be any time table set for his return, though he thinks he will be ready to play by the time spring training ends. Solano will likely serve as a utility infielder down in Scranton.

It was reported that the Yankees new second baseman, Starlin Castro, was not at spring training camp on Monday. After suffering from tooth pain for a few days, it turned out that he needed a root canal. He was back on Tuesday and went through a normal workout.

Finally, Tyler Olson was back on the mound after getting hit in the finger earlier in the week. He seemed no worse for wear, allowing a walk and recording a strikeout in one inning of work. Olson was traded to the Yankees in January in part of the deal that brought over Ronald Torreyes in exchange for Rob Segedin.