The injury-riddled New York Yankees could be taking a hit to their rotation, because Phil Hughes might not be ready for the start of the regular season due to a bulging disk in his back, according to ESPN.com.
Hughes originally felt pain in his back after covering first base during a fielding drill on February 18th, when an MRI revealed a bulging disk. Hughes was taking anti-inflammatory pills and claimed the back was feeling better, but is still not very close to pitching. Manager Joe Girardi told ESPN "Is it in jeopardy, his starting? It's possible, yeah. I think it's too early to tell, though." Girardi also said that Hughes is probably two weeks away from pitching. In order to be in the rotation to start the season he needs to work his way up to 75 pitches. According to the ESPN report, that generally requires four or five spring training starts.
Hughes expressed some concern about his injury saying "Every day is worrisome that I'm not throwing. But it's a double-edged sword. I don't want to push this thing and have it become a recurring issue, but at the same time, every day is a day lost, so I'm kind of in that in-between zone." Hughes is expected to be the Yankees' fourth starter behind CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte. Last season, Hughes pitched a career-high 191 innings, and went 16-13 with a 4.29 ERA while striking out 165 batters.
An injury to Hughes would be very bad news for the Bronx Bombers, who are already without Curtis Granderson until May, Alex Rodriguez until mid-July at the earliest, and with Derek Jeter returning from a broken ankle. With that many questions about the offense, Girardi's team will need to rely on the pitching staff to get the team through the early part of the season. If he does miss time, David Phelps (4-4, 3.34 ERA) is the likely candidate to take Hughes' spot.
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