Andujar takes next step in rehab
Miguel Andújar took another step toward avoiding surgery on the torn labrum in his right shoulder Friday. The third baseman played catch for the second time and took swings off a tee before the series-opener against the White Sox at the Stadium.
“Yeah. I felt good,” Andújar said. “I took some dry swings. About 25 (dry swings) and 25 on the tee. It went well.”
Andújar suffered what the team called a “small,” tear in his labrum March 31, sliding back into third base. He played the rest of that game, but was diagnosed with the tear and shutdown the next day. Doctors told him he could try strengthening the muscles around the labrum and see if he could play through it.
The first test was throwing. He began with 25 tosses at 60 feet on Wednesday. Friday he threw in shallow right field with Troy Tulowitzki, who is also on the injured list, about the distance between first and second base. He did not throw hard, forcing Tulowitzki to move in to catch them.
“It’s another step for him. He also swung the bat, did some dry swings and hit off the tee. That went really well. It’s going to really come down to how he handles throwing as we continue to ramp it up,” Yankee manager Aaron Boone said. “He threw a little further distance today, but still light throwing. The question will be now, as he slowly but surely ramps it up, can he handle the throws necessary to play? That’ll be the determining factor.”
SABATHIA STARTS SATURDAY
Veteran lefty CC Sabathia was back in the Yankees clubhouse and getting ready to start his final major league season on Saturday. The 38-yearold announced he will retire at the end of the season, but isn’t looking at this sentimentally.
“We’re in the middle of it. It’s hard to kind of take steps back and look at it like that,” Sabathia said. “I’ll just be ready to try and get everybody out on the White Sox tomorrow and just keep going like that.”
Sabathia had an extended spring training because of knee surgery and emergency angioplasty over the winter. He also served a five-game suspension for throwing at a Rays hitter last season in retaliation.
But he said the extra work in Florida has him ready.
“I feel good,” Sabathia said. “I feel good about everything we did down in Tampa, all the work we got in and I’m ready to go tomorrow.”
With Sabathia back in the rotation Saturday and a day off on Monday, Domingo German will be available out of the bullpen this weekend and then slot back into the rotation on Thursday. Masahiro Tanaka will start Sunday.