NEW YORK — Joba Chamberlain will likely have Tommy John surgery after a torn ligament was discovered in his right elbow, New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi announced Thursday.
Chamberlain was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday with a strained flexor. An MRI revealed the severity of the injury, a major hit for a beleaguered bullpen that is already without Rafael Soriano, the $35 million setup man, as well as Pedro Feliciano and Damaso Marte, two lefty specialists who have been on the DL since March.
Girardi will have to bump up David Robertson to the eighth-inning role and lean heavily on Boone Logan, Luis Ayala and others who were just bit parts to what was supposed to be a strength for the team.
"We've lost some good guys," Girardi said. "Some kids are probably going to have to step up for us from our system."
Chamberlain's symptoms are not necessarily those of a Tommy John patient. He passed some strength and mobility tests and can still throw without pain. The following day, however, his elbow often tightens up.
"I was watching him do things today that guys who need Tommy John aren't supposed to be able to do," Girardi said.
Still, the manager is all but resigned to the fact that the operation is necessary.
The 25-year-old Chamberlain was 2-0 with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP this year, his second since returning to the bullpen after a year in the rotation. His treatment early in his career, which included strict pitch counts and added days off while part of the rotation as part of the infamous "Joba Rules," seemingly did not protect him from eventual injury.
However, Girardi points out that the issue may have been inevitable at some point, whether he used Chamberlain in that way or not.
"I think part of it is power arms and the risk when you have them," Girardi said.
Chamberlain's last outing was in Anaheim last week. He threw 35 pitches in 1 2/3 innings to help preserve a slim lead over the Angels. Mariano Rivera, one of the only remaining healthy pieces of the Yankees' preseason bullpen structure, got the save.
