Alex Rodriguez is on the 15-day disabled list because of his calf injury. With the starting rotation struggling, the New York Yankees have called up highly-regarded prospect Ivan Nova to see if he can give them a lift.
Nova, 23, has been tremendous this season for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, pitching to a 12-3 record with a 2.86 ERA in 23 starts. He tossed three scoreless innings for the Yankees earlier this season, all in relief.
Nova will make the start on Monday with everyone else getting an extra day off. Manager Joe Girardi did not say whether the team would skip anyone’s turn in the rotation — Javier Vazquez would seem to be a candidate for that given his struggles with a dead arm of late — or whether Nova would remain in the rotation beyond Monday.
“We just feel that the guys could use an extra day,” Girardi said. “Obviously we hope that he pitches very well and he can be impactful for us, but that’s getting a little too far ahead right now.”
The Yankees’ rotation outlook has been murky of late, with Vazquez’s dead arm, A.J. Burnett’s inconsistency, Phil Hughes’ innings limit and Andy Pettitte’s injury. Behind CC Sabathia, not a whole lot is certain, which means Girardi can use Nova in a number of ways.
Looking at the struggles of the rotation recently, Yankee fans should be able to see why the team wanted ace left-hander Cliff Lee so badly.