Yankees' shenanigans start early with two bullpen injuries ahead of spring training

The New York Yankees seem to have built an overflowing bullpen with enough depth to withstand a few inevitable injuries over the course of a long season. But just because we know that doesn't mean we wanted to see a pair of injuries reported on Day 1.

And we were really hoping to go longer than 20 minutes between Aaron Boone saying there were no injuries to report and two pitchers reporting injuries.

The discrepancy, of course, was that all physicals performed upon arrival revealed zero new injuries, per Boone. There were two injuries that the Yankees were already aware of that were not revealed on intake physicals, both of which have left two bullpen hopefuls up in the air for Opening Day.

But we weren't aware of them ... so ... it still would've been nice for them to be referenced up front rather than in the lingering afterglow of blessedly learning that no one was hurt.

According to Boone, both Jake Cousins and Clayton Beeter are in the process of overcoming offseason issues at the moment. Beeter is further along than Cousins, but both are reportedly on the proper track.

Yankees Injury Updates: Jake Cousins (forearm strain), Clayton Beeter (shoulder) might be delayed for Opening Day

Cousins, midway through a "no throw" already, might not have enough time to build up his arm to be ready for Opening Day. Beeter is reportedly already throwing side sessions, but is behind in his buildup as well. It would seem logical to call his Opening Day readiness into question as well.

Beeter's issue feels more worrisome, given the shoulder issue that knocked him off the map in May of last year. He did recover, and even returned to the big leagues by end of season, but any unresolved shoulder tenderness should always give fans pause.

Of course, Cousins' forearm strain was referred to as "ominous" by the New York Post, and everyone knows that often UCL damage/Tommy John surgery follows other forearm issues. Last season, Cousins struck out 53 men in 38 innings, posting a 2.37 ERA and eventually rising into high-leverage work. His control betrayed him more often than not in the playoffs, but he was part of the Yankees' second wave behind Clay Holmes/Tommy Kahnle/Luke Weaver during their AL pennant run.

Additional bullpen depth behind the big guns includes Jonathan Loaisiga, who should be ready in May, as well as semi-forgotten names like JT Brubaker, Michael Arias, and Scott Effross. Left-hander Tyler Matzek was added on a minor-league deal on Monday as well.

The Yankees can cover their bases here if either Beeter or Cousins exit stage right. Still, the world where everyone was healthy is better than this one.