Yanks activate Ryan, Pineda goes to DL
ANAHEIM -- The Yankees activated infielder Brendan Ryan from the 15-day disabled list before Tuesday's game against the Angels, as Michael Pineda's 10-game suspension expires.
Pineda accepted his suspension after being caught with pine tar on his neck during an April 23 start against the Red Sox in Boston, then sustained a Grade 1 strain of the teres major muscle in his upper back while throwing a simulated game in Tampa, Fla.
As such, Pineda goes straight to the disabled list, and is expected to be out until late May or early June. Manager Joe Girardi said that playing a man short due to the suspension has not had a major impact on how he navigates games nightly.
"I think it's probably had our bullpen turn over more," Girardi said. "Maybe where you might give a guy a day of rest and play someone else, you can't. I think the biggest adjustment has been the bullpen, where that sixth and seventh guy have rotated a lot in the absence of Pineda and only having 24 players."
Ryan, who was sidelined this spring with a cervical spine nerve injury, has played in seven Minor League rehabilitation games with Class A Advanced Tampa and Double-A Trenton, going 8-for-25 (.320) with four runs, two RBIs and five walks.