Just as the New York Yankees had begun to play well comes about the worst news they could afford that doesn't involve Alex Rodriguez: Ace pitcher Chien-Ming Wang is likely out for the season with ligament and tendon damage in his right foot sustained running the bases Sunday in Houston.
An MRI showed that Wang, 28, has a mid-foot sprain of the Lisfranc ligament and a partial tear of the peroneal longus tendon of the right foot.
He will be on crutches and in a protective boot for a minimum of six weeks. General Manager Brian Cashman said he isn't ruling out a late-season return and said the best-case scenario would have Wang, who has won 46 games over the last two-plus seasons, back in September.
"We were kind of braced for it," Cashman said. "He's got a tough rehab ahead of him, and we want to make it worth his while so that when he comes back there are meaningful games for him to pitch. If you want to be a championship club, you've got to be able to get over every obstacle that's in your way."Dan Giese should get the first chance to fill in for Wang, who was 8-2 with a 4.07 ERA this season. Have you ever even heard of Dan Giese? I didn't think so: The 31-year-old is 1-1 with a 1.23 earned run average in three relief outings, but he has never started a game in the majors. His turn would come up Saturday against the Reds. Another option is Ian Kennedy, who is expected to be back from injury at the end of June - but he was terrible earlier this season.
The trade rumors already have started regarding the Yankees acquiring pitching: The top target seemingly would be Indians left-hander C.C. Sabathia, who will become a free agent after the season.
However, Sabathia could be too pricey in terms of prospects, so the Yanks could look at Cleveland's Paul Byrd, Houston's Shawn Chacon, the Dodgers' Derek Lowe and San Diego's Randy Wolf.
"We look from within first. There will be no quick fix. Hopefully, we'll have something that makes sense internally. But if we don't, we'll have to step outside and take a look at what's available," Cashman said.
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