The news came in Monday afternoon and it wasn't good.
Chien-Ming Wang was diagnosed with a mid-foot sprain of the Lisfranc ligament of the right foot and a partial tear of
the peroneal longus tendon of the right foot. The Yankee ace will be in a protective boot for at least six weeks.
"This is a significant one, there's no doubt about it," Yankees general
manager Brian Cashman told WFAN."Hopefully while he gets through the healing
process and the rehab process, we can give him some purpose to get back to help
us like he did in '05, when he missed a significant portion of time in the
second half with a shoulder injury. It's up to us to make sure that he's coming
back for a reason."
I seriously doubt Wang will be back this season. Brian Bruney also injured the Lisfranc joint in his right foot earlier this year and may rejoin the Yanks in late July. If he does and is effective, then maybe there's a possibility that The Wanger could do the same, but my gut instinct tells me it won't happen. But I'm not a doctor and I hope I'm dead wrong.
So, now what? It's not like you can search the waiver wire and replace your No. 1 starter. The short-term solution could be Dan Giese or Jeff Karstens. Giese has been solid since being called up and was a starter in the minors. Karstens is back from a groin injury that sidelined him during spring training and pitches tonight for Scranton, which lines him up for Wang's spot on Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds. Then there's always Kei Igawa (heaven help us).
As for the long term, the sexy choice floating around would be to trade for C.C. Sabathia. I'm not sure what it would take to bring C.C. from Cleveland (or if the Indians are ready to unload the big guy), but I'll bet dollars to donuts that the two teams will be in heavy discussions in the coming weeks. The other guys immediately mentioned were free agent Freddy Garcia, who had rotator cuff and labrum surgery last August, and Brad Penny. Peter Gammons reported on ESPN Insider that the Dodgers were talking about sending Penny to the Yanks for Robinson Cano, but Penny was scheduled to undergo an MRI on his aching right shoulder Monday. It doesn't look like he'll make his next start.
And then there's the dream scenario (other than Wang magically waking up and feelin fine tomorrow) where Ian Kennedy and/or Phil Hughes recover from their injuries, pick up the slack and pitch the way the Yanks envisioned they would at the beginning of the year. Man, that would be sweet.
One thing's for sure, no one is going to feel sorry for the Yanks. Management and the team's baseball "people" will have some serious decisions to make if the Bombers are going to survive Wang's injury.
Heads may be down in Yankee Land today, but remember fans: What does not kill me, makes me stronger.
Leave a comment
Wang looks a little too comfortable and happy in that skirt. I guess it's appropriate he's dressed like a woman since he hurt his foot running. Aren't these guys supposed to be professional athletes? Pitcher or not; inter-league play or not, isn't running part of their everyday routine?