What are the New York Yankees not saying about starting pitcher Joba Chamberlain and why is he headed to see Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama?
Chamberlain came out in the fourth inning of his last start on Monday and while on the mound pointed to the side of his throwing shoulder.
After the game, manager Joe Girardi said he would expect Chamberlain to miss at least his next start on Saturday against the Angels. Now, it appears it could be longer.
Typically, when teams send a player to see a doctor like James Andrews who is one of the best, if not the best in terms of repairing pitchers, it’s to get a second opinion on an MRI that may have shown something.
The Yankees are not speculating on what the issue could, but there must be something there well past the scope of Yankee trainers and doctors.
What’s disappointing from Chamberlain’s standpoint is that the team were suppose to watch how many pitches he has thrown since being converted to a starter earlier this year. In his first start June 3, he threw 62 pitches. His next start went to 78, then 89.
In just his fourth and fifth starts, they had him throwing 100, then 114 pitches. In five starts in the month of June, he threw more pitches than the first two months of the season combined as a reliever.