There’s plenty of news on the injury front, as the wounded Yankees are slowly but surely getting healthy. Here are a few notes and updates:
Ivan Nova (triceps): Nova was activated Friday afternoon, according to Erik Boland of Newsday. With David Phelps pitching nicely, Nova finds himself in the bullpen. He’s 1-1 with a 6.48 ERA through four starts this season.
Mark Teixeira (wrist): Tex could start a rehab assignment with Double-A Trenton as early as next Tuesday, according to Erik Boland of Newsday. He’s been participating in simulated games and took batting practice down in Tampa yesterday. It’s unknown how long the rehab stint will be, but it’s expected to last longer than Curtis Granderson’s, who only appeared in a handful of games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Expect Teixeira to be back in early June.
Kevin Youkilis (back): Youk, who has been out of action since April 26 with a lumbar spine sprain, took six at-bats on Wednesday in a simulated game. According to Mark Feinsand, Brian Cashman said yesterday that Youkilis is “maybe a week” away from returning to the big league club. It’s unclear whether or not he’ll need a short rehab assignment. David Adams has filled in nicely at third, playing solid defense and hitting .308 with two homers and three RBIs.
Joba Chamberlain (oblique): According to Mark Feinsand, Joba is scheduled to throw two innings in an extended spring training game on Saturday. He pitched a scoreless inning of relief a week ago in Scranton, but the Yankees didn’t feel he was ready to come back. He could be activated late next week if all goes well.
Michael Pineda (shoulder): On the same day that Jesus Montero was sent down by the Mariners, Pineda threw five innings in an extended spring training game, according to Andy McCullough. His fastball averaged at 93 mph, a good sign for the Yankees. After one more appearance, he will likely begin a 30-day rehab assignment. At the conclusion of that, the team may option him up to the big leagues or send him to Triple-A for more refinement.
Eduardo Nunez (rib cage): Nunez took batting practice on Wednesday, the first time doing so since he was placed on the DL, according to the LoHud Yankees Blog. It’s unknown when he will be ready to return to game action, but he should be relatively close.
