Kelley To DL, Almonte Up, Tex In Lineup, No Beltran

May 1, 2014; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher Shawn Kelley (27) pitches during the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium. Seattle Mariners won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

According to Yankees, relief pitcher Shawn Kelley, who has missed the last week with a back injury, has been placed on the 15-day DL. Outfielder Zoilo Almonte has been called up from Triple A Scranton to take his place on the roster. This is the latest in a barrage of injuries that have hit the Yankees. Mark Teixeira is in the lineup for the Yankees tonight as the DH. However, Carlos Beltran, who suffered a hyperextended elbow last night and had to be removed mid game, is not.

Teixeira was getting the night off in the first game of the Subway Series last night, because according to Teixeira, his legs “felt like cement.” It certainly was no exaggeration, as Teixeira, pinch hitting in the ninth inning for John Ryan Murphy, who entered the game innings earlier to replace the injured Beltran, lined what should have been a sure double into the right field corner, only to be forced to stop at first, due to his legs simply not being able to carry him fast enough in order to get to second.

It cost the Yankees, as Brian McCann would eventually ground into a game ending double play. It was an alarming sight for the Yankees and their fans, as the team is already without CC Sabathia, Michael Pineda, Ivan Nova, and now Kelley. Afterwards however, Teixeira vowed to be in today’s lineup saying he was “playing no matter what.” And here he is, in the lineup for the Yankees tonight, just as he promised.

After hyperextending his elbow while practicing his swing in between innings last night, Carlos Beltran is not in the starting lineup tonight. After the game last night, manager Joe Girardi announced what was wrong with Beltran, and also broke the news that Ichiro Suzuki was unavailable last night as well, due to a back injury.

There were concerns that Beltran might be headed for the DL, however, he reportedly received a cortisone shot, after an MRI revealed an old bone spur. Beltran said he hopes to avoid possible surgery, but it may take a couple of days for the injection to calm things down. He is currently day-to-day. “If he doesn’t feel better in a couple of days, my level of concern would be pretty high,” Girardi said.

Ichiro on the other hand, most likely will not be available tonight. It feels like 2013 all over again for the Yankees, who just can’t seem to catch a break with the injuries. “We had a lot of practice with (injuries) last year, so we ‘re used to it,” Girardi said.

The Yankees were able to cope with the injuries for a majority of last season, before it finally caught up to them in the end. And while the current list of injuries for the Yankees is still nowhere near as bad as it was last season, you do have to stop and wonder if last season’s nightmarish injury debacle may be repeating itself for the Yankees.