NEW YORK — Another day, another injury for the New York Yankees.
Hiroki Kuroda, the team’s No. 2 starter, was forced to leave Wednesday night’s game against the Boston Red Sox after his right throwing hand was grazed by a Shane Victorino leadoff line single in the second inning.
Kuroda first ducked to avoid the shot up the middle, but then chose to put his right hand up and the ball connected with his hand. Yankees manager Joe Girardi and team trainer Steve Donohue checked on Kuroda.
After a few practice pitches, they deemed him good enough to stay in the game. Kuroda, known for his precision, was suddenly wild. He hit Jackie Bradley Jr. After a groundout, he walked Jacoby Ellsbury to load the bases before hitting Daniel Nava to force in a run. Girardi then replaced Kuroda with Cody Eppley. With the bases loaded, Eppley forced Dustin Pedroia to hit into a double play.
The Yankees’ pitching staff already began the season without Phil Hughes. Doctors diagnosed Hughes with a bulging disk during spring training. Hughes is scheduled to start a Triple-A rehab game in Scranton on Saturday. If it goes well, he will return to the majors to start on April 11 in Cleveland.
With David Phelps and Ivan Nova in the rotation, the only other potential starter the Yankees have on the roster is Adam Warren. At Triple-A, the Yankees have rookie Vidal Nuno and veteran Chien-Ming Wang as possibilities.
The Yankees’ lineup is missing Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson and Alex Rodriguez because of various injuries. Teixeria (wrist) and Granderson (forearm) could return in May. Jeter’s timetable is undetermined as he continues to recover from offseason ankle surgery. Rodriguez, coming off hip surgery, won’t be back until after the All-Star Break at the earliest.
This article was originally posted on ESPN.com