Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes said he plans to resume throwing Wednesday and is hopeful to be back pitching before the club’s initial 6-8 week estimation of his return from arm discomfort.
Hughes has been on the disabled list since April 15 and was given a cortisone shot April 28 to relieve inflammation in his right shoulder. After being tested for a circulation problem by a vascular specialist in St. Louis, which came up negative last Monday (a result that likely spared him season-ending surgery), Hughes met the press for the first time since returning to New York.
“When I went to St. Louis I was hoping it would be good news and that’s what it was,’’ Hughes said. “I had the cortisone to take some inflammation out of my shoulder and I’ll start a throwing program. I’m excited to get going. Hopefully this is the issue and we can move on.
“It was tough. I didn’t even want to have to go through this. But something wasn’t right, so I had figure out what it was. I’m just happy to be plugging forward and not going for any more tests or anything. I’ll throw in a couple of days. I’m confident.’’
Hughes said he’s slated to start playing catch on flat ground before eventually moving to the mound. Yankees GM Brian Cashman last week estimated a return in 6-8 weeks.
“I hoped to have not been out that long, but considering that I haven’t thrown in a while, and to have to come back and start throwing, eventually get on the mound, rehab and all that, hopefully the time flies by. And I’ll be up and 100 percent sooner, I hope,’’ Hughes said.
Hughes returned to New York and worked with a physical therapist while the Yankees were on the road at Toronto and Texas. He said the cortisone quickly started working, and though he didn’t do any upper-body lifting immediately, he’s now back into his full regimen.
“Yeah, it feels relieved,’’ Hughes said. “You get so used to little discomforts here and there, you just kind of get used to pitching with those sorts of things. When I got the shot, the first day after it was sore; and then after that it felt almost relieved, looser. So I’m hoping that made a big difference.’’
The Yankees still don’t have concrete answers why his 94 mph fastball plummeted to 88-89 mph, his ERA ballooned to 13.94 and he felt numbness. They’ve called it dead arm, then right shoulder inflammation, and after multiple MRI exams and a doppler vascular test to chart the blood flow to his pitching arm, they still aren’t sure.
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The Royals are putting left-hander Bruce Chen on the disabled list with a strained muscle in his left side and will recall Vin Mazzaro from Triple-A Omaha.
The team announced the planned moves before Tuesday night’s game against the Yankees. Mazzaro will be recalled to start Wednesday night against A.J. Burnett.
Chen has been one of the Royals’ most consistent starters, going 4-1 with a 3.59 ERA. He allowed one run over seven innings his last time out, a 9-1 win over Baltimore on Thursday.
A team spokesman called Chen’s injury a left lat strain.
Mazzaro, who grew up in New Jersey, was traded to Kansas City from Oakland last November. He was 1-0 with a 4.97 ERA in five starts at Omaha.
With AP
