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New York Yankees: Michael Pineda’s New Timetable Is Bad News

By Kenneth Teape

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The New York Yankees originally thought Michael Pineda would be able to return from the DL shortly after he was eligible to return; that is no longer the case and it spells bad news for the Bronx Bombers.

Despite the injury to Michael Pineda prior to the MLB Trade Deadline last week, the New York Yankees did not make a move to trade for a pitcher. The thought was that Pineda would return relatively quickly after his 15 day stint on the DL was up for a forearm strain. But, it was announced that Pineda would not be returning before September to the Yankees rotation according to General Manager Brian Cashman.

“We are not going to see him pitching in major league games in August. Obviously, September is when we plan to unleash him again at some point,” said Cashman. This will have a big impact on the Yankees going forward as they try holding off the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East race.

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First off, this means someone will have to step up in the pecking order behind Masahiro Tanaka. He is the unquestioned No.1 in the Yankees rotation, as Pineda was entrenched right behind him. When the postseason rolls around, they are the ones the Yankees will rely on when the going gets tough in a series. But to make it there, someone will have to fill his shoes; who will it be?

The Yankees have a pretty underwhelming group currently in the majors to replace Pineda. Nathan Eovaldi was strong in July, but his season numbers are underwhelming with a 4.30 ERA and 1.49 WHIP. He has a sterling 12-2 record, but that has as much to do with the Yankees offense than it does with Eovaldi’s pitching.

Despite his strong July, Eovaldi managed to make it through six innings only once, so it makes it tough to rely on him as a horse in your rotation as he leaves the bullpen exposed to overwork. As a top of the rotation pitcher, you have to go deeper into games than Eovaldi is giving the Yankees.

Could the veteran C.C. Sabathia finally come to life? Don’t count on it Yankees fans. He has been woeful all season, holding a 4-8 record with a 5.54 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. He has shown no signs of returning to the Sabathia the Yankees knew in previous seasons, as the 5.32 ERA he registered in July is the lowest one he has had in a month this season.

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Those numbers are enough for any player to be removed from the rotation. But, with the injury to Pineda, the Yankees do not have anyone to turn to and will have to hope Sabathia can give them quality innings at some point. There hasn’t been anything to say that it will happen, but maybe the Yankees needing him to carry more of the load will get something to click. Not saying it will happen, but Sabathia did look to figure things out earlier in July, when he gave up three runs in 11 ⅓ innings.

Or maybe the recovering Ivan Nova can take over the role as second fiddle to Tanaka. Nova has made seven starts this season coming back from Tommy John surgery and the early returns are strong. He has a 4-3 record with a 3.10 ERA and 1.28 WHIP. It would not be surprising to see the Yankees monitor Nova’s workload though, as they do not want him to re-injure his arm.

Mar 3, 2015; Clearwater, FL, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino (91) throws a pitch during a spring training baseball game at Bright House Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Yankees would like for one of these veterans to step up, but there if the youngster Luis Severino is the one to do it, the Yankees won’t be upset. Severino is set to make his major league debut on Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox and could be the spark the Yankees need.

Severino has been dominant in the minor leagues this season, going 9-2 with a 2.45 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 19 starts between Double-A and Triple-A. Can that success continue at the major league level? The Yankees certainly hope so, as they wouldn’t have called him up if they didn’t believe he was ready.

At the same time though, it is tough to put this much pressure on a young player. The Yankees are in the thick of a playoff race, as their 5.5 game lead in the AL East is not as cozy as it sounds with the Blue Jays playing outstanding baseball at the moment.

Unlike the Yankees, the Blue Jays made monster moves at the deadline, acquiring superstars Troy Tulowitzki and David Price. Those moves could be enough to push them past the Yankees, especially with Pineda out for a longer period of time than expected. It will be tough for the Yankees to replace Pineda, as no other pitcher currently on the roster has shown the ability to step up consistently yet this season, and they are not sure what they will get out of the youngster Severino.

The next couple of weeks will make or break the Yankees as they will try and fill the void left behind by Pineda.

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