Posada headed to disabled list
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Apr 27, 2008 
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For the first time in his career, Jorge Posada will be placed on the disabled list and it could be for a long time.
The muscle tear in Posada’s shoulder left him unable to throw today and he will be examined by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., later this week.
“It’s very disappointing,” Posada said. “The biggest disappointment in my career.”
Posada seemed almost close to tears as he spoke. “It’s not getting any better and we have to find out what really it is,” he said. “The MRI showed a strained muscle and I think it’s more than that. I want to find out really what it is.”
Posada was referring to the MRI taken earlier this month in Kansas City.
Here’s the audio of the press conference he did after the game:
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This is a huge blow to the Yankees. While Jose Molina is a good catcher, he’s not remotely the offensive player Posada is. The Yankees also will have to hope that Molina can withstand the toll physically.
With Chad Moeller DFA’d, the Yankees will likely call up Chris Stewart to be the backup. He has 23 games of major league experience.
If Moeller clears through waivers, can the yanks call him right back up? How does that process work?
Terrible news. Hopefully it’s not a longterm problem.
Stay healthy Molina!
I had a feeling that we DFA’ed Moeller too quickly. This shoulder issue does not sound good. If it turns out to be a chronic thing, we may be paying Jorge Posada a whole lot over the next four years to not do that much.
This is just crazy.
You could tell yesterday after throwing to second it really hurt him. This sucks.
People in here were screaming to get Moeller off the roster with 2 banged up catchers, but now look at what’s happened.
My guess is Jorge has a torn rotator cuff, he could be gone for the entire season.
Isn’t it funny how many in the media claimed the Yankees lost a “single A catcher” in Cervelli and that they shouldn’t care? Turns out he was supposed to start the season in AA and is our closest catching prospect to the majors. With a good few months in the minors he could have actually played a role with the Yankees now that Posada will be out for awhile. Cervelli is major league ready with the glove right now so he definitely could have been an emergency backup.
Gerald Laird is likely to be on the trade market, if Posada is out for a couple of months I could see a move being made to acquire him.
I wonder if Fasano has stayed in shape. Can’t believe I just typed that.
Chad Moeller hopefully will clear waivers… It looks like Posada might start playing first base sooner then we all expected.
I am a litle confused here about this injury.
Pete other than the NY Times no one including Posada said it was a tear he said that all the doctors who looked at the MRI including Andrews said all it was is a strain where is the idea of a tear coming from.
I am not saying he doesnt have one but if the doctors all said from the MRI it was a strain and not a tear just because the NY Times says a tear everyone is saying it is one. UNless they looked at the MRI or talked to a doctor who has looked at it it all seems a bit strange to me.
“People in here were screaming to get Moeller off the roster with 2 banged up catchers, but now look at what’s happened.”
Yeah it sucks but I doubt Moeller would have played that well for the entire season. It’s possible he makes it through waivers and if so he’ll be back with the team. Lucky for the Yankees, Molina is a very good defensive catcher and not terrible with the bat. Imagine losing Posada last year and having Nieves be the fulltime catcher for an extended period of time.
the yanks won again despite there anemic offense.
looks like Arod had another clutch AB today and I did not see the play but sounded like Cano was being his usual headsup on the pickoff at first.
wang has 5 of the 13 wins looking like the guidry yr. many yrs. ago…
Melky at 20 Hr’s a year is a legit everyday CF..BTW he is better then Ellsbury and I think he is also younger.. Ellsbury throws like Damon……
“Pete other than the NY Times no one including Posada said it was a tear he said that all the doctors who looked at the MRI including Andrews said all it was is a strain where is the idea of a tear coming from.”
It’s all about the verbiage. A strain is actually a small tear in the muscle. With enough rest a strain or tear will heal perfectly fine.
Perhaps after throwing yesterday he re-injured his arm worse than before. A new MRI is probably in order.
Patrick:
Cervelli still wouldn’t be here. He turned 22 last month and has never spent a day above A ball. He’s a decent prospect but they wouldn’t just throw a kid in there. That’s why they signed Moeller, Stewart, etc.
It’s a shame Jorge got hurt but you can’t just promote kids who aren’t ready. It doesn’t work that way. AA is the level that seperates prospects from organizational players. They would need to see him there a while.
And the point wasn’t that he was he was Single-A. The point was that you don’t start brawls over it and get players suspended.
hehe, Yankees are in deep doo-doo.
A muscle strain is a tear of the muscle. However, with that being said, if they take another MRI and they see the same results as before which means no large tear of the muscle, they might opt for a cortisone shot followed by some rest which might help the muscle imflammation.
“My guess is Jorge has a torn rotator cuff, he could be gone for the entire season.”
They definitely would have seen a frankly torn rotator cuff on the MRI.
Could he have torn it since that last MRI? That’s possible. But if the pain in his shoulder didn’t get much worse that’s not likely.
This is Posada’s first major injury and he’s understandably worried.
But if his last MRI didn’t show anything that needed surgery it probably is just a strain that’s healing slowly in a 36 year old.
I’m not sure why Posada thinks there is something else going on. It’s very unlikely that Dr. Andrews is going to misread an MRI.
Strains can last a while – look when people strain muscles in their legs.
Let’s wait for his next MRI before concluding that he’s out for the year.
It’s not that likely given that his last MRI did not show a tear that needed surgical repair.
Doesn’t Moeller clear waivers tomorrow?
crawdaddie,, I believe its a (10) day waiver period, and the waiver clock for Moeller started on Fri, 4/25.
Thanks to those clearing up the strain versus tear thing. I am no doctor so the words dont mean anything to me but as a lay person a strain doesnt sound as serious as a tear thus maybe why the word strain is used versus tear lol
“I wonder if Fasano has stayed in shape.”
he has no shape. like a water ballon, he is always ready.
Before we start to write off the season, let’s take a minute.
The only hard evidence about Jorge’s injury is the MRI done in KC, which reportedly shows no structural injury. Doctors who have reviewed it and examined Jorge have diagnosed a strain. Something happened today which caused Jorge to “shut it down” – pain, dead arm, whatever it’s called. It could be an exacerbation of the previously diagnosed strain, or a new injury. What is needed is new, up-to-date data, i.e., a new MRI. This way, an informed decision can be made. Saying he needs surgery at this point is pure speculation.
I know it’s trendy in our society to be the first to declare something, to be the one to say “I knew it!” a la Mike and the Mad Dog. But the only intelligent thing to do is not panic (panic does not make anything better), but to get objective information and make decisions based on that.
72 hour waiver period.
We don’t even know if Molina is healthy, really.
if Cervelli isn’t viewed as a viable option when he returns, then why is he on the 40 man roster ?
Can’t Ensburg play catcher
Hopefully nobody will pick up Moeller to deal a blow to the Yanks.
As we posted in the game thread, the season is not over. Molina is a solid defensive catcher who can produce decently with the bat. He’ll be a capable fill-in until the whole story is known about Posada’s injury.
“Melky at 20 Hr’s a year is a legit everyday CF..BTW he is better then Ellsbury and I think he is also younger.. Ellsbury throws like Damon……”
I’m a huge fan of Melky – he’s young, and he’s finally figuring out how to put the ball up in the air instead of hitting grounders all the time – this is what led Alex Rios to break out last year. He also has a great arm. When Tabata is up, if Melky’s power is for real, he could be a solid corner outfielder.
I think Ellsbury’s the better CF though, in terms of routes to the ball, etc. He’s also -damn- fast, more of a Johnny Damon leadoff guy than a power hitter.
“but if the doctors all said from the MRI it was a strain and not a tear just because the NY Times says a tear everyone is saying it is one.”
Gayle,
The main thing with an injury like Posada’s is whether there is such a large tear that is has to be surgically repaired.
As other’s have suggested all “strains” are technically “tears.” So when Jeter strained his quad it was really a type 1 tear (type 1 being the least serious).
His last MRI did not show any kind of significantly large tear – and Andrews said that it didn’t need anything surgical.
Andrews did not misread an MRI.
And it doesn’t sound like Jorge is saying the shoulder suddenly got worse. If it tore a lot since that first MRI he would likely have had a lot of new pain.
I’d guess they’ll do another MRI as Girardi is suggesting. We’ll see then.
I bet someone does pick up Moeller, just to deal another blow.
Edit – I meant “no surgical injury”
Hopefully this is a helpful primer. Waiver period is three days.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/s/transanctionsprimer.html
“if Cervelli isn’t viewed as a viable option when he returns, then why is he on the 40 man roster ?”
Rule V draft. Internataional signees are a problem because they become rule V eligible at a very young age.
Hopefully this link is helpful. Moeller was DFA’d, and the waiver period is three (3) business days.
espn.go.com/mlb/s/transanctionsprimer
Make that this link.
http://espn.go.com/mlb/s/transanctionsprimer.html
thanks CB, that I didn’t know.
This sucks. Really sucks
There is no doubt that working out with A-Rod has really helped Melky. Hopefully he can keep it up.
I have to ask – if in the future, Posada has to move to DH/1B – and let’s assume this is before Romine or Montero are ready…
What do the Yankees do?
I have to wonder how much it would cost to get, say, Jeff Clement (is he a good defensive game/calling catcher? It seems like the Mariners don’t think so).
Prior to the Yankees, Molina averaged about 70 games played per year with the Angels…he’ll be ok for a month or two.
Dare I say…….. Piazza? Even if Posada back in a short time, he could provide a decent bat off the bench.
Piazza hasn’t played…he would need weeks to get back into game shape…plus he is a terrible defensive catcher at this stage of his career (if he still has one).
piazza? are you kidding? he hasn’t caught a game since 06.
I was watching the Fox feed yesterday and on his last throw to second Jorge grimaced and muttered something to himself. I thought at the time “uh-oh”. But he stayed in the game I guess he tried to tough it out.
Molina was probably the most significant off-season signing this winter at this point. We would be absolutely lost with Nieves instead of Molina (although Nieves has been actually producing for the Nats).
With this being Posada’s first major injury and first DL stint I think he is being genuine when he says “I’m not sure what it is or how bad it is.” He has never experienced anything like it before.
While we all should be prepared for the worst, that being he will be out for a long time and possibly the entire season, I would encourage everybody to not jump the gun. It sounds like and hopefully it is a reaggrevation of the same ‘dead arm’ problem he was having earlier this month. Maybe with an actual DL stint, and no DH/pinch hitting, he will heal properly and quickly.
Jeff Clement would cost an arm and a leg to get. He is absolutely mashing AAA pitching. He isn’t the greatest at calling a game, but he could definitely help on the offensive point and give some decent defense. What would the Yanks have to give up? I don’t know. The Mariners just signed Johjima to that 3-year deal, so that shows that they either plan on moving Clement to DH, first base, or maybe trading him to fill their needs.
Call Pittsburgh. Betemit for one of their catchers makes sense.
Betemit can’t see…he’s on the DL…why would Pittsburgh want someone that can’t play?
Question – If a team does pick up Moeller do they have to give him a spot on their major league roster? Or can they pick him up and assign him to their minor league team? And does he have to accept that?
“Jeff Clement would cost an arm and a leg to get. He is absolutely mashing AAA pitching. He isn’t the greatest at calling a game, but he could definitely help on the offensive point and give some decent defense. What would the Yanks have to give up? I don’t know. The Mariners just signed Johjima to that 3-year deal, so that shows that they either plan on moving Clement to DH, first base, or maybe trading him to fill their needs.”
Yeah, I’m thinking Jeff Clement the catcher would cost way too much.
But Jeff Clement the 1B/DH isn’t absolutely spectacular (I don’t think he’s projected to be a Pujols/Howard/Ortiz superstar, is he?).
But yeah, the Yankees’ only trading chips are likely off limits (Hughes, Chamberlain, Kennedy, Tabata, Jackson).
Yeah, I think that they have to give him a spot on their ML roster.
Fran – yes, Moeller would have to go on the active major league roster, if claimed.
For a team to pick up Moeller – he would have to be added to their 25 man roster.
Right now, their doesn’t seem to be a need for a catcher on any other team – so he may clear.
Thanks for answering. That may keep a team from picking him up just to spite the Yankees.
I’ve seen Clement play when he was down here in SoCal. He wasn’t the wizard of defense, but I think he would play about average there. No, he doesn’t project to be a Pujols/Howard/Ortiz star.
The Mariners are only playing Sexson at first because of the money he makes. Otherwise, if he weren’t on the roster, I expect that Clement would be there right now. He could probably post above average numbers. He has nothing left to prove hitting-wise in AAA. The Mariners depth at first has Norton and Cairo on the ML roster…and in the minors they have Bryan LaHair, who is a decent player and could probably platoon at first.
The Mariners would be able to drive up the price for Clement because they know the Yanks will probably be calling all lines to try to get someone if Posada is down for significant time. The Yankees aren’t going to trade the people you mentioned for sure, but they probably would be willing to part with a Marquez or Horne to try to get Clement for multiple positions if Posada does go down for a while.
Betemit can come off the DL in a couple days. How hard is it to look forward 2 days?
Teams generally don’t role over and give away solid players just because the Yankees may have a need.
The Yanks would have to pay dearly because of their potential need at catcher, should Posada have a serious injury and the team decide they want a better hitter than Molina.
However, no sense in going crazy until the exact extent of the injury is known.
Betemit’s not going to come off the DL in a couple of days. The Yankees said that he won’t be ready in time and, when he is, he’ll need minor league rehab.
Andrew – check yankees.com…he will not be coming off the DL anytime soon. He has corneal ulcers and his DL stay will be extended.
Terrible, terrible, terrible…
But the Yankees will pull through.
Can you say “Player-Manager”?
Just kidding, of course, but he IS in better shape than most of his players.
Do you think Yogi is still in good enough shape? He definitely had a bat and good defense back in the day…the Yanks just need to invent a time machine.
I can see Flaherty ripping off his blazer in the announce booth now in anticipation of getting the call.
The Rangers have a catching surplus…but, like I said, teams will drive up the price because it’s the Yankees, catching is hard to come by, and because they’ll want to get the most out of their players.
If Posada is down for a good amount of time and Moeller doesn’t clear waivers, the Yanks might have to be willing to package some good prospects.
Steph-
That’ll be especially true if their other hitters don’t stay consistent…
Yes, especially since Posada is a huge part of the offense. The Yanks need someone who can get on base as often as him and have power…
And I wouldn’t give up -any- solid prospects for Gerald Laird. He’s serviceable, but I prefer Molina to Laird, really. Only reason Laird is starting is for trade value – Saltalamacchia should be starting just for development’s sake (the Rangers aren’t doing anything this year).
I’d love to get a Jeff Clement, and let’s be real – pitching rules – but I don’t think Horne+ or Marquez+ gets it done.
on a positive note, a sweep by the devil rays and the resulting 5 game red sox losing streak has amazingly put the yankees in a very good spot in the standings with the end of the month fast approaching.
thank god for wang this april. it’s becoming a rough month on the nerves to be a yankee fan.
When was the last time we’ve heard a ‘DFA Damon’?
:rofl:
It certainly has. I can still see the revolving door of pitchers from last year and watching player after player pull up with hammy injuries.
If he aggravated it last night, why was he a last second scratch from the lineup? Unless they thought it was the same thing and would be better with a days rest.
OK, I went to Yankees.com and found the lastest article on Betemit. If anyone knows more than this, let me know.
“Superficial cases can take less than a week to heal, and Betemit said that his was no different.”
This seems to me he will be coming off the DL rather soon.
And here is the link if you want to read the whole thing.
http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com.....8;c_id=nyy
The Yankees are not getting Clement. In fact the Yankees will not make a deal for a catcher. Jorge will be back in a month. If this was 2009, we would all be praying for Jesus, Jesus Montero that is.
You’re sure that Posada’s going to be back in a month? There are no guarantees when we don’t even know the severity of the injury right now.
Stewart played today for Scranton.
Speaking of which, when you can sit second row, behind home plate, for a doubleheader for $9, life is really, really good.
Also, Kei Igawa was sitting in his stands, with his translator and one other guy. I have pictures I will put on my blog shortly, but it was funny–he had the entire section to himself.
It could have gotten worse since the last MRI:
“Posada said he felt pain in his shoulder after a throw on Saturday, and when he came to the ballpark on Sunday he couldn’t even have a game of catch.
“We have to be smart about it,” he said. “It’s not getting any better. The MRI shows a strained muscle, but I think it’s more than that. I want to really find out what it is.”"
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....=280427105
I would guess they’ll wait on another MRI and Andrews’ evaluation before considering a trade. Posada said that he was a catcher and didn’t want to play 1st. He also said the Yankees have seven 1st basemen. Why trade for a catcher when Moline/Moeller can play good defense for a few weeks/months? I’d rather trade for a reliever.
A-Rod and the offense have to come on at some point.
“Let’s wait for his next MRI before concluding that he’s out for the year.”
Of course, I was just saying that if it is a rotator cuff injury he will need surgery and will likely be out for the season. Lets hope that’s not the case.
“Cervelli still wouldn’t be here.”
You are most likely correct but given the injury to Posada there is a chance he could have contributed. Look at Chase Wright, we were really hurting for a starter and he was called up from AA I believe.
Cervelli is major league ready with his glove right now. In a crunch he could have been called up to be a backup. We will now never know thanks to the spring training MVP Elliot Johnson.
Chad Jennings is calling for Jason Brown to be called up and then sent down when Moeller gets resigned. Chris Stewart might not clear waivers. Of course that assumes Moeller clears waivers.
I think we should just use Ensberg as the second catcher until we get definitive word on Moeller.
I might be wrong, but the Yankees should still have the ability to withdraw the waiver request on Moeller if he is claimed by another MLB Team.
Here is ESPN’s MLB Primer on the Subject:
“If a player doesn’t clear waivers — in other words, if he’s claimed by another team or teams — the club requesting waivers may withdraw the waiver request.”
Ensberg should be able to serve as backup catcher for the next 72 hours or Chris Stewart joins for 3 days.
ESPN news, “and now a report from Hall of Famer Peter Gammons”.
Pete, settle a debate for us. Does a BBWAA award to a writer presented at the HOF make a HOFer?
as much as I like posadas offense, I think Molina will do a good jog in his place. I’m sure the pitching staff will be more comfortable pitching now that Molina is the everyday backstop…. Baseball is not all offense….
A torn rotator cuff does not always require surgery…depends on the severity of the tear.
Good call on Jennings’ part…Stewart would probably not make it through waivers…and why expose him just so he can sit on the bench in case of emergency for a game or two until Moeller is back.
What about the Ranger’s Laird???
ensberg was a catcher in high school. hes not a back up catching in the big leagues. hes an emergency catcher and thats it.
Rebecca ;
How did Darrell Rasner look ?
Cervelli is not ready…you wouldn’t have wanted to call him up to sit the pine and play once per week…you want him to play everyday at his age. He still needs to refine his game down in the minors.
Jose Molina’s the best backup catcher in the game and should be able to hold down the fort until a more permanent option presents itself.
Baseball is definitely not all offense, but when you have an offense that is struggling as bad as the Yanks’ offense is struggling right now, the pitchers have a very small margin for error. You can only go as far as your pitching staff will take you, but if they’re not having the best night, you need to have the offense do its part. The Yanks will definitely miss that in not having Posada there.
If Gammons is a Hall of Famer so is Murray Chass. They both won the same Spink award that everyone seems to think makes Gammons a HOFer. His name is on a plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum which is not the same thing as the Baseball HOF.
To his unending discredit Gammons never corrects people when they refer to him as a “HOFer.” He’s not.
1962 — J.G. Taylor Spink
1963 — Ring Lardner
1964 — Hugh Fullerton
1965 — Charles Dryden
1966 — Grantland Rice
1967 — Damon Runyon
1968 — Harry G. Salsinger
1969 — Sid Mercer
1970 — Heywood C. Broun
1971 — Frank Graham
1972 — Dan Daniel, Fred Lieb, J. Roy Stockton
1973 — Warren Brown, John Drebinger,
John F. Kieran
1974 — John Carmichael, James Isaminger
1975 — Tom Meany, Shirley Povich
1976 — Harold Kaese, Red Smith
1977 — Gordon Cobbledick, Edgar Munzel
1978 — Tim Murnane, Dick Young
1979 — Bob Broeg, Tommy Holmes
1980 — Joe Reichler, Milton Richman
1981 — Allen Lewis, Bob Addie
1982 — Si Burick
1983 — Ken Smith
1984 — Joe McGuff 1985 — Earl Lawson
1986 — Jack Lang
1987 — Jim Murray
1988 — Bob Hunter, Ray Kelly
1989 — Jerome Holtzman
1990 — Phil Collier
1991 — Ritter Collett
1992 — Leonard Koppett, Bus Saidt
1993 — Wendell Smith
1994 — No Award Presented
1995 — Joseph Durso
1996 — Charley Feeney
1997 — Sam Lacy
1998 — Bob Stevens
1999 — Hal Lebovitz
2000 — Ross Newhan
2001 — Joe Falls
2002 — Hal McCoy
2003 — Murray Chass
2004 — Peter Gammons
2005 — Tracy Ringolsby
2006 — Rick Hummel
2008* — Larry Whiteside
Bobby, Laird is an interesting one, I had heard he may be available, they want to work in Salty. The Rangers need a lot of help, especially pitching wise. I still think a trade is not necessary though.
http://www.facebook.com/photo......id=5501136
Kei Igawa in the stands.
Firstly – Jorge is not yet in any real trouble… We don’t know anything, and he was able to finish the game… Until we know something us serious (which is unlikely with a player so not injury prone AND the previous MRI showed no real trouble) let’s stop assuming the sky is gonna fall.
For now Molina can hold it down, and I think if hip hip goes on the DL anything less than 60 days we aren’t in any kind of trouble, plus Moeller probably will clear waivers.
But here’s a comment that drove me nuts- V: how are you going to designate melkys position to tabata? Melky us already hitting 290 consistently in the majors and is looking to be a 20-100 player this season… And who knows what beyond. He can also steal bases, field amazingly, and gun out runners at home. All that at his age. If you are seriously going to take it for granted that tabata is just going to come up and handily move past melky I think youre slightly dillusional.
Glenn: Rasner was excellent. 6 innings (they only played seven total, doubleheader and all), three hits I think, one run. His ERA is now like 0.87.
gargoyle,
Gammons’ blog on espn has it was a recipient of the award presented at the HOF.
It’s acceptable (I guess) for the TV side to use the HOF designation.
So he can refer to Chass as “Hall of Famer Murray Chass” then? And may one day, “Hall of Famer Peter Abraham”?
Rebecca,
lol. You forget that many of us old farts aren’t on the new-fangled Facebook.
3 ER for Rasner in 31 IP…he has to be making it very hard on the Yankees to not call him up.
Why not give Piazza a try? Make him catch and DH. He could still hit.
Mel -
Ha ha! This one is on facebook! (My daughter is, so I am, too. Not too protective, am I?)
Rebecca –
Great pictures. As always. Thanks for sharing.
Ack, this link should work if you’re not on facebook:
http://photos-c.ak.facebook.co.....0_3608.jpg
“lol. You forget that many of us old farts aren’t on the new-fangled Facebook.”
A couple months ago my teenage niece texted me and asked if I was on Facebook. I texted back that I wasn’t, but that I was on MySpace.
She texted back: “lol. oldies”
I’ll tell you what this team is missing, the rally squirrel.
Doreen does she know you are on there?
Jennifer –
Yes.
Posada said that it is strained ..they never said that it was torn. That is 2 totally different things. If it was torn then the MRI definitely would of shown that. Also he would of been put on the DL right away 3 weeks ago and he wouldn’t of played the last couple of days. I think the report of the tear is just the newspaper assuming and stating something that they have not confirmed. I would think 3 doctors know more then they do. If it is strained then he would just have to rest it for a month or so.
Shoulders are tricky things. There is a lot of business going on in there and it’s not difficult to miss something that was hiding in there probably masked by overlapping tissue. A more through study might have revealed the extent of the damage but then again, it could be something totally new. Anyways, Andrews is the best so he’s in good hands.
I’m getting a feeling Jorge is gonna have to get used to the 1B glove like it or not if he wants to continue playing baseball.