Nova’s Injury Isn’t as Bad as He Feared

Nova’s Injury

The seemingly star-crossed Yankees, who have been hit with a glut of long-term injuries to start the season, received good news Saturday when a magnetic resonance imaging test on pitcher Ivan Nova revealed only inflammation of the right triceps. Enlarge This Image Adam Hunger/Reuters The Yankees placed Ivan Nova on the 15-day disabled list. Bats Keep up with the latest news on The Times's baseball blog. Go to the Bats Blog Major League Baseball Live Scoreboard Standings | Wild Card Stats | Injuries Yankees Schedule/Results Roster | Stats Mets Schedule/Results Roster | Stats Nova, who left his start on Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays in the third inning because of elbow pain, was placed on the 15-day disabled list. The Yankees expect him to return once he is eligible to be activated. “First you think it’s something negative,” a relieved Nova said. “And this is negative, but it’s not that bad.” Nova is expected to rest for at least a few days before he throws a bullpen session. To replace him on the roster, the Yankees called up pitcher Vidal Nuno from Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. David Phelps, who has been pitching in relief, will take Nova’s place in the rotation. Nuno, who had a 1.54 earned run average at Scranton this season, will become the Yankees’ long man in the bullpen. To make room for Nuno on the 40-man roster, the Yankees placed shortstop Derek Jeter on the 60-day disabled list. The team also said catcher Francisco Cervelli had successful surgery on his right hand to repair a broken bone. He was hurt in the first inning Friday when Toronto’s leadoff hitter, Rajai Davis, fouled a ball off his throwing hand. Cervelli is expected to miss at least six weeks. To replace Cervelli, the Yankees called up Austin Romine, a 24-year-old catching prospect, who was hitting .333 for Scranton. Yankees Manager Joe Girardi said Romine would split time with the veteran backup Chris Stewart, who was in the lineup for Saturday’s game against the Blue Jays. To help familiarize himself with the pitching staff, Romine caught bullpen sessions on Saturday morning with starters Andy Pettitte and Hiroki Kuroda. “It will depend on how he performs,” Girardi said of Romine’s playing time. “One thing about our jobs is that it’s performance-based.” The Yankees also received a boost Saturday when Kevin Youkilis, who had not played since April 20 because of back spasms, returned to the lineup. 

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