News broke Wednesday that New York Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes has been diagnosed with a bulging disc in his upper back and will be sidelined for two weeks. Should this be a source of concern for the Yankees given that the right-handed pitcher is slated to be the team's fourth starter?According to the Spine Centers of America, most disc bulges affect the lower back and "more rarely, in the upper back or your thoracic spine."To better understand the type of issue that Hughes is having with his back and how ...
Pitchers and catchers have reported. Full-squad workouts have begun. On Saturday, the New York Yankees will open their Grapefruit League schedule when they face the Atlanta Braves in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The Yankees are a franchise that is never short on story lines, regardless of what point in the year it is, but there are several items that are buzzing as the Bronx Bombers embark on their 111th season in New York and their 101st as the Yankees. In no particular order, here are the top nine story lines ...
Ever since the Yankees let Russell Martin walk as a free agent, Yankee fans have been waiting.Waiting patiently to see who would be the next catcher for the Yankees in 2013.Right after Thanksgiving in November, Martin left the Yankees and landed a two-year, $17 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates to take their starting catcher spot.Most fans were OK with the move because they felt it was time to move on from Martin.Fans thought either free agents Mike Napoli or A.J. Pierzynski would be an immediate upgrade for the spot, ...
The New York Yankees have always had one slightly unconventional policy that has set them apart from the rest of the teams in Major League Baseball: Their players are not permitted to sport an unprofessional amount of facial hair.This was started by the late George Steinbrenner in 1973 and has stuck with the franchise ever since.Since then, countless players have had to trim their beards to play for the Bombers. Most recently, Johnny Damon and Kevin Youkilis had to shave their incredible beards just to put on the pinstripes.Damon, coming ...
There was talk over the winter that infielder Eduardo Nunez would play a bigger role for the New York Yankees this season, that the team had to find a way to get Nunez’s speed and his bat into the lineup. Then along came Travis Hafner. When the Yankees signed the former Cleveland Indians designated hitter to a one-year, $2 million contract with incentives on Feb. 1, Nunez’s role was thrown into flux. The understanding of just how much flux is coming into focus. George King of the New York Post reported Tuesday that Nunez is not only not ...
The New York Yankees will not make the playoffs in 2013.Fahgettaboudit!In a recent press conference, Yankees manager Joe Girardi discussed his high expectation for the team in the upcoming season. Girardi said "this team could win 95 games and get to the World Series," according to ESPN.The expectations of the organization and fan base, fueled by the previous success, are unrealistic. After the lack of splashy offseason moves, an aging roster and offensive production on a downward spiral, the end of an era is near in the Bronx. Old ageInjury and ...
Alfonso Soriano doesn't want to play for a losing team anymore (via Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times), and the New York Yankees aren't exactly set at the designated hitter's spot in the lineup. Match made in heaven, right?Well, not so fast.Soriano has maintained that he wants to play for a contender and win the World Series by the time he retires (via Wittenmyer). He claims that he'll stay with the Chicago Cubs so long as they are contending, but any semi-knowledgable baseball fan knows that the chances of that happening ...
In November, as the Yankees celebrate their 28th World Series championship with a parade down the Canyon of Heroes, remember the date February 1, 2013. That is the date the Yankees announced the signing of Travis Hafner—and their 2013 starting lineup officially became stacked.Although the acquisition of Hafner managed to fly beneath the radar, it was a signature stealth maneuver by savvy GM Brian Cashman that bolsters a 2013 Yankees batting order already bursting with firepower.Hafner's career numbers come at righty hurlers like Popeye after eating a can of spinach (2,619 at bats, 152 homers, .534 slugging ...
For the better part of eight seasons Robinson Cano has provided the New York Yankees with a stable, All-Star caliber second baseman that ranks among the best the franchise has ever put on the diamond. However, that stability and top-tier talent from the second sack could be coming to an end, and the team will need to have backup plans following the upcoming campaign.As a Yankee, Cano has hit for average (he holds a .308 career mark) and power (177 home runs, including 33 last season) while also winning two ...
Derek Jeter has been the primary leadoff hitter for the New York Yankees since 2009. But coming off a postseason ankle injury that may have bothered him for half of last season, according to George King of the New York Post, manager Joe Girardi might be looking at other options at the top of the lineup card. King reported Tuesday morning that Ichiro Suzuki might be used as the leadoff hitter if Jeter isn’t 100 percent by the time the season approaches. “There are question marks that have to be ...