ARLINGTON, Texas — When Michael Pineda was diagnosed with tendinitis in the right shoulder on March 30, general manager Brian Cashman said the Yankees didn’t receive damaged goods from the Mariners in the offseason trade.
He repeated that Saturday when Pineda was shut down after 15 pitches in an extended spring training game.
And repeated it yesterday after announcing Pineda had a significant’ tear in the labrum that will require arthroscopic surgery.
“There is no way the Yankees believe the Seattle Mariners had any knowledge of any [health] issues with Michael Pineda prior to the trade,’’ Cashman said. “He was a fully healthy player when we acquired him. We had full access to his medicals and the opportunity to do a full physical.
“Michael never had a shoulder issue nor did he complain about one with the Mariners. This is an unfortunate circumstance that can happen and it happened.’’
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Dr. Alexis C. Colvin, an orthopedic surgeon at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine Dept. of Orthopaedics, confirmed Pineda is likely to miss a full year because of a labrum tear in his right shoulder.
“There is no way to rush someone back from this,” Colvin said. “It’s a severe injury for a pitcher.”
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Nick Swisher had his left leg heavily wrapped and was limping in the Yankees’ clubhouse after Wednesday night’s 7-3 loss to the Rangers.
Swisher fouled a ball off the knee in the sixth inning and was in considerable pain. He stayed in the game and doubled in the ninth, but the knee blew up as the game progressed.
“It’s just swollen, it’s all right,’’ the Yankees’ RBI leader with 21 said.
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Instead of using CC Sabathia on regular four days’ rest Saturday against the Tigers at Yankee Stadium, manager Joe Girardi will start Freddy Garcia and use Sabathia Sunday.
“Give CC an extra day and I didn’t want Freddy to miss too much time,’’ Girardi said of Garcia, whose last outing in Boston Saturday lasted 1 ²/₃ innings and yielded five runs and seven hits. “I figured it was better to do it this way.’’
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Derek Jeter went 2-for-4 and extended his hitting streak to 15 games, the longest active streak in the AL. Jeter is 31-for-68 (.456) during those 15 games and is hitting .420 this season.
— additional reporting by Dan Martin