MINNEAPOLIS — The back injury that put Alfredo Aceves on the disabled list could be season-ending and might result in surgery to repair a bulging disc in the lower back.
Aceves stopped a throwing session Tuesday in Tampa and is in New York to be examined by Dr. Chris Ahmad. According to manager Joe Girardi, nobody knows when or if Aceves will try to throw again.
“He has a disc problem,” Girardi said of the valuable right-hander who hasn’t pitched since May 8 in Boston when he felt discomfort covering first base. “It’s something a lot of players deal with it when it’s not symptomatic and it’s symptomatic.”
Aceves, who is 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in 10 games, is valuable because he can fill multiple roles.
Sergio Mitre has done well providing depth in his last two relief outings, but Aceves also could be counted on to get a number of key outs. On that front, Chan Ho Park hasn’t been successful, but David Robertson has improved.
In an effort to give Girardi long relief help, the Yankees signed right-hander Chad Gaudin yesterday and activated him in time for last night’s second game in which he didn’t pitch.
Lefty Boone Logan was sent to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Triple-A) to make room for the right-handed reliever. Pitcher Shane Lindsay was designated for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.
Released in spring training by the Yankees, Gaudin was signed by the A’s on March 29 and was on their Opening Day roster. In 12 appearances, Gaudin posted a 8.83 ERA and opposing hitters batted .360 against him.
A year ago for the Yankees he pitched in 11 games, going 2-0 with a 3.43 ERA. He appeared in one postseason game against the Angels.
Robertson supplied 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief in yesterday’s suspended 1-0 win over the Twins. He took a Joe Mauer liner off the back but stayed in the game. Admitting Robertson likely would be sore as the night progressed, Girardi said he wouldn’t use Robertson tonight because he threw 37 pitches.
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Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was miffed that Andy Pettitte took his allotted eight warm-up pitches to start the ninth and then was replaced by Mariano Rivera. The Yankees didn’t break any rule, but Gardenhire said he believes a pitcher who takes all his warm up tosses should have to pitch to at least one batter.
“He wasn’t going to throw a pitch,” Gardenhire said. “Kind of tired, to tell you the truth. Don’t normally get that long between innings. You know what’s going on there. That’s a situation Major League Baseball needs to take care when stuff like that happens.
“If you don’t have a guy ready in the bullpen, if your starter goes out there, he should have to face a hitter,” he said. “It’s just the way it should be. That’s not what lost the game for us. That stuff just gets old right there.”
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Seeing Girardi surrounded by media members in the Yankees’ dugout yesterday afternoon, Derek Jeter took the opportunity to add levity to the Yankees’ recent swoon in which they had lost four of five before winning the first game.
“Joe, have you hit the panic button yet?” Jeter asked the manager as he walked past the gathering on the way to optional batting practice.
“No, I haven’t,” Girardi said.
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Curtis Granderson is scheduled to play in at least one of the two Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Triple-A) games today, and if his groin injury doesn’t resurface, he will join the Yankees in time for Friday night’s game against the Indians at Yankee Stadium. Kevin Russo is likely to be sent out to make room for Granderson, who is hitting .286 (4-for-14) in four minor league games. SWB was off yesterday.
Granderson, who hasn’t played since May 1, will return to center field, meaning Brett Gardner will return to left. Granderson started the season well, hitting .313 through the first 13 games but is at .225 because of a 3-for-32 slide.
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Yankees bench coach Tony Pena said he is hoping he can attend Jose Lima‘s funeral in Queens tomorrow. Pena was a winter ball teammate, a winter ball manager and a big league manager of the right-handed pitcher who died at 37 Sunday of an apparent heart attack.
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Girardi is gushing about Target Field, a gem of a ballpark. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help pining for the Metrodome after Tuesday’s play was stopped after five innings because of rain.
“If I have one complaint: It doesn’t hold water as well as the old one,” Girardi said jokingly.