The Yankees placed Roger Clemens on the disabled list July 13th. Clemens' season has been filled with minor mishaps, and though few previously threatened to send him to the DL, a couple have led to poor starts. He took a ground ball off his ankle in Spring Training. In his first start of the season, Clemens attempted to field a grounder barehanded, leading to sore and swollen right hand that caused him to pitch poorly in both the remainder of that game and his next outing. He had another sub-par outing when he made a start on only three days rest. The rest of April and May went without incident, but he bruised his right foot rounding first base during interleague play against the Mets in June. In his following start, he took a line drive off his right arm. Clemens' suffered no injuries in his final June start, though he gave up three home runs to the Orioles. The Rocket was pulled from his first July start with leg cramps, leading the Yankees to scratch him from his next scheduled appearance. A groin strain in his last start precipitated this trip to the disabled list.

Clemens has set a steady pace for his rehab, incrementally increasing the stress of his workouts. He's moved from throwing on his knees to throwing lightly off a bullpen mound and wants to step things up even further this weekend. The health and effectiveness of the remainder of the Yankee starters will likely determine whether or not he takes the time for a minor league rehab start before rejoining the team. If they send him on a rehab assignment, he likely won't return until the first week of August; otherwise he may return as soon as July 27th.

The Yankees recalled Mike Thurman to replace Clemens on the roster. Thurman will resume the relief job he held earlier this season when he spent a month on the New York roster as a reliever following a call-up for a spot start. However, he was sent down when the Yankees activated Mariano Rivera from the DL in late June. Rivera only missed the minimum fifteen days while on the DL with a strained groin; the injury hasn't bothered him since his return.

New York called up Brandon Knight when they placed Rivera on the disabled list. A few days later Knight returned to the minors when the club activated Andy Pettitte from the DL, but the Yankees decided to promote him again in early July when they demoted Randy Choate. After two and a half years at AAA, first with Texas and then with the Yankees after the Rangers sent him to New York with RHP Sam Marsonek for OF Chad Curtis, Knight kicked his strikeouts up to 9.6 K/9 after only averaging 6.3 K/9 over the rest of his AAA time. (The Twins selected him in the 2001 Rule 5 draft, but returned him to New York before the season started.) One normally wouldn't expect that kind of improvement unless he had moved from the rotation to the bullpen, but Knight's increase came while he remained a starter. He made his debut with the Yankees in June of last year in the first of three call-ups. This season New York sent him to the AAA Columbus pen, where he had a 50:25 K:BB in 43.1 IP while allowing 35 H and 5 HR. He should provide the Yankees with quality innings in the pen.

Choate broke camp with the team but was sent to the minors by mid-April. Prior to being sent down for Knight, Choate was demoted when the Yankees activated Orlando Hernandez from the DL and then recalled when New York placed Sterling Hitchcock on the disabled list. The 26-year-old lefty struggles with his control against right-handed batters, so the Yankees should only keep him in the pen as a lefty specialist.

Hernandez spent some time in the bullpen after he was activated from the DL, but he returned to the rotation in July. He's currently appealing a 5-day suspension handed down for plunking Carlos Delgado in his most recent start. Although the Yankees were planning on trying a six-man rotation after the All-Star break before they decided to put Clemens on the DL, Hernandez's position in the rotation is in question. Given their injury problems this season, I'm not sure the Yankees will trade him, but he could move to the bullpen after Clemens returns.

If he were healthy, Hitchcock might further complicate the Yankee rotation or at least allow them to trade Hernandez. Unfortunately although I still think New York made a good decision in re-signing Hitchcock this off-season, the move hasn't worked out as expected for the Yankees. Groin problems early in the season kept Hitchcock on the DL and now he's sidelined with a back injury. As the team is in no rush to have him back on the roster, Hitchcock is approaching his rehab slowly and likely won't return until at least mid-August.

I'll save discussion of their one or two offensive transactions until another day, but I want to cover their recent waiver pick-ups now. In mid-June New York grabbed Nate Field off waivers from Kansas City. I took a look at Field when the Royals promoted him in early April. He needs time in AAA before he'll develop into an acceptable major league reliever, but the 26-year-old righty has a bit of potential. Field has struggled with his control in AAA in addition to experiencing a drop in his dominance, so I don't expect him in New York any time soon.

Last week the Yankees claimed Seth Etherton, who the Reds waived at the time of the Ryan Dempster trade. Originally the Angels' first round pick in 1998, Etherton was traded to Cincinnati for SS Wilmy Caceres after the 2000 season. Etherton underwent surgery last spring to remove bone spurs from his shoulder and to repair a torn labrum. Consequently, he was unable to pitch all last season and has only thrown a few innings this year. Prior to his injury, the 25-year-old had considerable potential as a starter, and he should at least be able to return as a quality reliever.