Yankees injuries: Chris Parmelee to DL with hamstring strain, Chad Green recalled

Well, the Chris Parmelee Era was fun while it lasted. During yesterday's sweep-clinching victory over the Angels, the Yankees' Wednesday night hero badly hurt his hamstring trying to make a catch on a ground ball (video below). He had to be helped off the field and replaced by Rob Refsnyder. After the game, Joe Girardi said that he would be shocked if Parmelee could avoid DL time, and that sentiment has come to pass.

The Yankees announced that Parmelee is going to the 15-day DL with a right hamstring strain. LoHud's Chad Jennings reported that it was a Grade 2 strain and that he would be gone for about a month. However, a first baseman is not going to come up to replace him. Instead, pitcher Chad Green will return to the Yankees about a month after his spot start in Arizona. Neither Nick Swisher or Tyler Austin will be joining the big club.

The bullpen could always use some fresh arms given how much Girardi has had to lean on them lately, but it is still a little strange that the team is proceeding without a real first baseman on the bench. Refsnyder and Austin Romine have very limited experience there, and the team is reluctant to occasionally use starters Chase Headley and Brian McCann over there, too.

Austin only recently returned to Scranton from Double-A Trenton, so it's understandable why the team would pass on him. Swisher would theoretically make more sense, but unfortunately, he simply isn't hitting at all in Triple-A. After a solid start, he only hit .200/.207/.278 in May, and he's been even worse early on in June. When asked about him, Girardi said that the team's evaluators just said it "wasn't the right time" for him.

Well, Swisher has an opt-out in five days, so it is looking more and more like that "right time" will never come. It's hard to blame the Yankees since he hasn't really produced, but it's unfortunate to see a former fan favorite's career slowly crawl to its end. Maybe the Yankees make a move for a position player after the Monday off-day since they have a couple games in the DH-less NL park and could use a bigger bench, but who knows. As the lineup cardcurrently stands, the Yankees will cross their fingers and hope for the best.