Here is the update, from Chad Jennings:
Girardi says nothing new on Hughes right now. Doc will be here later. Might have an update then.
Hughes underwent a second day of medical examinations today, with the team putting him through a battery of tests to see if they can find any sort of explanation for his diminished velocity and tired arm. The Yankees likely refrained from sending Hughes from tests until now because, as medical professionals will tell you, you can often find something that will look anomalous in the arm of a person who throws a baseball for a living, even if the player is perfectly healthy. At this point, however, the Yankees have been left with no choice but to run through the entire repertoire of examinations to see if they can pin Phil’s struggles on a medical problem.
While I am still hoping for the best regarding Phil’s health, I cannot say that I am feeling very optimistic at this point. Unfortunately, this is part of developing young arms into reliable starters. Sometimes they struggle, sometimes they show flashes of brilliance, and more often than not, they get hurt. It’s disappointing, and I hope that Hughes is back in the rotation in short order, but the Yankees need to be patient and exhaust every avenue in determining what is ailing Phil before they throw him back out there.
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4 Responses to No News On Hughes As He Undergoes Another Day Of Testing
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Agree with you wholeheartedly Moshe. I’d only reiterate that it’s sure looking like a very smart move not locking him up for more than one season last winter when they re-signed him. He really lost his stuff last season after the break, and the current circumstance certainly would appear to indicate the organization had good reason back then to suspect his decline might well be irreversible. As you say, hope he makes it back, but it doesn’t look good.
He didn’t really lose his stuff, but he declined because he’s a two pitch pitcher. He showed absolutely no inclination to commit to his change until very late in the season (this ST, he called himself stubborn – no kidding lol) and his curve is a sad shadow of its former self. Maybe his stuff wasn’t as crisp as it was in the first half, but there’s no way to think that was irreversible – Phil was undoubtedly fatigued by the end of the year given his workload. Again, though – when he was good, he was good, but when his FB wasn’t, he was dead in the water. That is the most disappointing thing to me about Phil – that and coming into camp overweight. For his sake, I really hope he’s ok and that this is not a career threatening thing, but my prediction going into this year was that Phil would not be a Yankee past his FA year. I think he’s lost some shine in the Yankees eyes and yes, he’s not a guy you want to extend (even had he not had these issues).
However, whatever his destiny is – whether it’s to be a complete disappointment or a good solid pitcher or a stud – I hope Phil gets to enjoy a long career and isn’t a footnote in history like so many other injured players.
He lost command and he lost control of his pitches. Call it what you want, but I do believe that’s the textbook definition of losing your stuff. In any event, the excuses of not developing his change-up and getting tired from too many innings were just guesses back then, and neither of them appear to be very convincing alibis at this late stage where we’re seven months removed from the end of last season. I think it’s naive not to recognize the simple fact that the vast majority of young pitchers simply don’t last to become old pitchers. Again, I truly hope he makes it back. But I absolutely think he needs to be removed from the team’s thinking now as they plan how to supplement our rotation going forward…and I’m willing to bet that’s exactly why they waited until now for tests and MRIs — because they already knew he was done. It’s a shame, but that’s baseball.
The sad thing is they made him dump his slider for as a cu. The n he fell in love with his middlin cutter, and his cv has gone to crap. Hughes now w as left with one plus pitch. His fb. Now thats gone, hughes throwong 88 has one avg pitch, inconsistent cv, and a change he refuses to use. Im not optimistic. I hate to do it kids but. . . .
Joba had a better fb, a better cv, a devastating sl and a change he will at least show. Amazing.