Yankees Injury News: A-Rod to DH for Single-A Tampa today and Pettitte awaits OK

The New York Yankees are 16-16 since Alex Rodriguez went on the disabled list with a fractured left hand courtesy of a Felix Hernandez fastball back on July 24. The poor record is not solely based on A-Rod’s missing bat as Eric Chavez has played well in his portion of the starts, but Rodriguez’s presence in the lineup and on the field has certainly been missed.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said, per the New York Daily News, that “it’s possible” Rodriguez will be back with the Bombers for the beginning of the Tampa Bay Rays series set to begin Monday. For now, Rodriguez will take the next step in his rehab as the DH for Single-A Tampa in today’s game at Lakeland. Hopefully things will go well and then he’ll play third base tomorrow. At that point assuming positive results concerning his health and his feel with the bat, the Yankees will determine if he will meet up with the big club or stick in the minors for further at-bats. Added Cashman:

"“We’ll see how he does and start working through it and then make a determination,” Cashman said Thursday. “We’ve definitely missed Alex’s righthanded bat, but we need everyone to get going to turn this back around.”"

Pettitte in holding pattern

The Yankees and Andy Pettitte are awaiting the OK from team doctors before allowing him to begin throwing off a mound. There was no new word on Thursday where it concerned Pettitte. As has been stated numerous times since his setback in Seattle, they are going to cautious, yet now they have added the word “accelerated” to the verbiage. The accelerated comes into play as to where he may do some of his pitching early on.

With the minor league playoffs set to begin, there is little time or space for Pettitte to log innings. Manager Joe Girardi said he could pitch in some simulated games at Yankee Stadium instead of minor league starts. He also intimated that Pettitte could in fact pitch a few innings at a time and ramp up while with the Yankees. With larger rosters beginning tomorrow, there will be plenty of extra arms for this to be possible, but with the Yankees suddenly in a heated division race, this option may not be best for the team which needs to win.

"“This is a tough game, and some of the ways you have to get people back, you have to be somewhat creative,” Girardi said. “We’ll do that. That’s what we’re going to do, and we’ll figure it out.” – via MLB.com"

It’s a predicament for the club as they hope to get Pettitte to full strength by the postseason, should they reach it. Time is running out, but if they press too hard and he suffers another setback he would be done for the season.