Excuse David Robertson if he feels as if he’s been through this before.
Less than a week into his first season as the Yankees closer, Robertson landed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left groin, much like when he was sidelined by an oblique injury shortly after taking over for Mariano Rivera in 2012.
“It seems like every time I get the chance, something just stops me,” Robertson said after the Yankees beat the Orioles, 4-2, in their home opener in The Bronx. “It’s definitely frustrating.”
For both Robertson and the Yankees, whose bullpen will be tested even more now in their first season without Rivera. Lefty Cesar Cabral will replace Robertson on the roster after being called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Robertson said he felt soreness in the groin while he was closing out Sunday’s win in Toronto.
“I thought it would go away,” Robertson said. “I felt it after about five or six pitches, but I grinded through it.”
He picked up the save, but when he woke up Monday, it was clear he wouldn’t be able to pitch. So when he showed up at the Stadium for the opener, he was sent for an MRI exam. He hopes to be back as soon as the 15-day stint is up.
And unlike two years ago, when Robertson was given a shot to finish games after Rivera’s season-ending knee injury, the job figures to be his when he returns.
Robertson lost the closer’s spot when Rafael Soriano took his place in 2012. This season, the Yankees don’t have a clear-cut replacement, so Shawn Kelley and others will be relied upon to fill in.
“We’ve got to figure it out,” Joe Girardi said. “I expect guys to get it done.”
Robertson hasn’t dealt with a groin injury before.
“It wasn’t a pull or a pop,” said Robertson, who nailed down his first two save opportunities. “I just felt soreness and it got gradually worse. Thankfully I was able to get that last out [in Toronto] and get out of there. … I wanted to finish the ball game.”
And he understood the team’s decision to DL him, even though he’s optimistic he’ll be healthy in less than two weeks.
“I know anytime I sit for a handful of days, I feel good,” Robertson said. “You can’t shortchange the pen, especially this time of year. It puts too much stress, waiting on one guy to come back.”