Damaso Marte's Sore Shoulder and What it Could Mean

Bronx Baseball Daily

Apr 2, 2010

Damaso Marte is experiencing discomfort in his pitching shoulder and has been scratched from today’s scheduled relief appearance according to Chad Jennings of the Journal News.

Marte said that it is supposedly not as bad as the shoulder injury he dealt with a year ago in spring training that caused him to have a terrible season—until the postseason that is. He also said he doesn’t expect that this will cause him to land on the DL.

The problem is that even if his shoulder isn’t bad enough to put him on the DL, he still might not be effective enough to be the team’s only lefty reliever. That means the Yankees may need to carry Boone Logan on the roster, whom they don’t exactly have space for.

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The easiest way to clear space for him in this situation is to start the season with Phil Hughes in the minor leagues, since he won’t be starting until April 15th, anyway.

If they don't want to go that route, they could add either Marte himself, or Alfredo Aceves , who has been dealing with a bad back, to the DL. Even though Hughes is not really needed right away, putting a pitcher on the DL could be a better plan since they are both expected to fill vital bullpen roles, and shutting them down for a couple of weeks could only help their long-term success.

Their other option if Marte’s health becomes a long-term concern, would be to try to send Sergio Mitre down to the minors. This would be a last resort as Mitre would have to clear waivers, which isn’t likely due to his affordable salary and the constant demand for pitching around the majors.

The answer may even be to start the season with Joba Chamberlain in the minors, but that seems more unlikely than the rest of these options because unless he went down to get some starts, it would be a complete waste.

I expect that unless Marte is 100 percent, someone—either Marte, himself, or Aceves—will land on the DL.