Yankees’ Michael Pineda picked up this morning for DUI in Tampa

New York Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda, who was acquired in a trade with the Seattle Mariners for highly touted catching prospect Jesus Montero in the offseason, was picked up early this morning by Tampa police and charged with DUI.

Pineda “had a fixed gaze and his eyes were bloodshot, watery and glassy,” per the officer when he pulled Pineda over at 2:35 a.m. on North Dale Mabry Highway. He further went on to say, “I could smell a distinct odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath, and his speech was slurred.”

He registered .128 and .125 readings in two blood-alcohol tests. He was released on $500 bond.

This is not exactly what we want to hear about a player who is supposed to be recovering from shoulder surgery. Pineda was out of shape when he arrived to spring camp and performed poorly in his spring outings, but it was written off by the injury to his shoulder.

So far, Pineda’s tenure with the Yankees has been more about off-field issues than his pitching prowess. There is no telling how this will affect his chances of being a contributor to the team in 2013, but it certainly causes some concern for the Yankees front office. General manager Brian Cashman offered no comment when confronted by the Post.