The injury-riddled season of the New York Yankees has gotten worse, as two more bodies were added to the stack of disabled Bronx Bombers: Kevin Youkilis needs back surgery and is out 10-12 weeks, while first baseman Mark Teixeira is back on the disabled list with wrist issues.
Youkilis had already been placed on the 15-day disabled list, but the news Tuesday that he needs back surgery is much more alarming. It could very well mean we've seen the end of Youkilis in pinstipes. He was signed to a one-year deal as a replacement for hobbled Alex Rodriguez, but Youkilis already spent May on the DL with back issues. He's only played in 28 games this season.
That, however, is more than Teixeira, who injured himself in the preseason and returned to play 15 games before aggravating the same wrist injury again. He's only expected to have a short 15-day DL stint. An MRI showed inflammation but no new tear in Teixeira's wrist. He's been out a few days, but was officially placed on the DL on Tuesday.
Teixeira and Youkilis join Curtis Granderson as Yankee stars with multiple DL appearances this season. Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez still haven't played this season. Both are getting closer to game shape, though — A-Rod faced living pitching on Tuesday and Jeter recently increased his hitting and fielding drills. Both are expected to return in July.
Despite all the injury woes, the Yankees have been able to stay close in the AL East. They're 38-31, good enough for third place in the division. They've been dragging lately, though, losing five out of their last six.
Baseball season's in full swing. Don't miss a thing.
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