The Yankees just announced that Michael Pineda has a torn elbow ligament and will likely undergo Tommy John surgery. He’ll get a second opinion, but it’s rare for that opinion to change. His season is over. He’ll likely miss all or most of 2018 as well. He’s an impeding free agent too, so this is a doubly bad blow for him.
Pineda is 8-4 with a 4.39 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 96.1 innings this season for the Yankees. He last pitched on July 5, giving up five runs on nine hits in three innings.
The Yankees options to fill his place in the rotation include Luis Cessa and Bryan Mitchell or minor leaguer Chance Adams. They could also look outside the organization, but it’s unlikely that Brian Cashman will want to trade significant talent to upgrade in the middle of a season that, however promising it has been to date, was intended to be a transition and building year for the Bombers.
