Injury Report: AL East

Plenty to talk about here...

New York Yankees

Joining Chien-Ming Wang on the DL for the Yankees are fellow starters Mike Mussina and Carl Pavano. Pavano is no shock whatsoever. He has suffered through long and well-publicized injuries since he arrived in New York. Mussina is a bit more surprising as he has been fairly durable throughout his career but as I noted in my preview of the Yankees, he is old (38 this season) like much of the team. To paraphrase Shaqille O'Neal, "38 ain't 28."

Former Oriole Chris Britton was recalled from Scranton after the injuries. Britton had a 0.00 ERA and 2 saves in 3 innings of AAA work.

Don't forget about Hideki Matsui (hamstring) as he will be out at least another week.

Boston Red Sox

Wily Mo Pena has been penciled into the lineup the last two days in place of centerfielder Coco Crisp. No word on whether this is injury related or if it's due to Crisp's general suckdom (.111 AVG, 9 Ks, 3BB) of the Sox leadoff hitter.

Toronto Blue Jays

B. J. Ryan has been ineffective this season (to say the least) and it looks like we now know why. Ryan was placed on the 15-day DL with a sprained elbow. No timetable for his return has been set.

Earlier in the week, starting leftfielder Reed Johnson went on the DL with a herniated disc and will be out at least two months. His replacement, Adam Lind, has hit like mad in the minors. he could provide an upgrade at that position provided he starts hitting major league pitching right away.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Other than 1B Greg Norton being out until mid-May, the Rays have no significant injuries.

Baltimore Orioles

Ramon Hernandez (strained oblique) could join the team before the end of the Tampa series. Jay Payton (hamstring) is said to be joining the O's during their next homestand which begins on Friday. Jaret Wright (shoulder soreness) has experienced no further discomfort and could rejoin the rotation by the end of the month.

Corey Patterson is on bereavement leave following the death of his grandfather. He is scheduled to rejoin the team by Thursday. In his absence, Adam Stern and Jon Knott have been called up from Norfolk (RP Kurt Birkins has been sent down).