Whitley to undergo Tommy John; What happens to Yankees rotation?

(Brian Blanco/Getty Images North America)

(Brian Blanco/Getty Images North America)

New York Yankees pitcher Chase Whitley is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery. Whitley was diagnosed with a partially torn UCL, and his upcoming surgery will end his season.

Whitley has been a promising prospect for the Yankees, as his career record is 5-5, and has an ERA of 5.02. Whitley has shown promising attributes, and is a key member of the Yankees pitching rotation. Many Yankees’ pitchers have been playing well recently, and with Whitley gone, the Yankees will need to look to one of them to come in and replace the injured Whitley.

The Yankees have been one of the better pitching teams in baseball, and have some impressive depth. They have overcome not only the loss of Masahiro Tanaka, who will make his return soon, but also have managed CC Sabathia’s slow start. Don’t forget that Ivan Nova has been on the DL since April 2014. Now with Whitley on the season ending IR, the Yankees are going to have to continue with looking down the depth chart.

The Yankees will now look at a starting rotation of Michael Pineda, C.C. Sabathia, Nathan Eovaldi, Chris Capuano, and Adam Warren.

1. Michael Pineda: Pineda has been absolutely dominant lately, as he has won his past two starts. In those two starts, he has struck out 22 batters, and given up one earned run. His record is 5-1, and he has an impressive 3.31 ERA. He has been plagued by injuries in the past, and now the Yankees truly know what type of player they received, when they traded for him in 2012. Pineda’s strikeout total continues to improve, which is why he finds himself tied for 4th in total strikeouts, with former teammate Felix Hernandez. Pineda has proven himself to be the ace, at least for now, of the Yankees.

2. C.C. Sabathia: Sabathia has had a rough going to start the 2015 MLB season. He started with a record of 0-5, and currently has an ERA of 4.67.  However, even though Sabathia had a rocky start he has won his past two starts bringing his record up to 2-5. He looks better out there on the mound, and it seems he is finding his rhythm. C.C. Sabathia looks to be on the right track and will need to return to his old self to keep adding “W’s” to his stat sheet.

3. Nathan Eovaldi: Eovaldi was acquired by the Yankees at the end of last season, in a package in which the Yankees sent infielder Martin Prado and reliever David Phelps to the Miami Marlins, in return for Eovaldi and veteran Garrett Jones. Eovaldi has five years of experience on his MLB resumé, and has a career record of 18-36. The right hander has had a decent season so far this year, as his current record is 3-1. Eovaldi is currently ranked third in the Yankees rotation, showing the team has a lot of faith in him, and believe he will bring them the wins they need.

4. Chris Capuano: Capuano had his season debut last Monday, in which he gave up four runs over three innings. That gives him an ERA of 12.00. That was certainly not his ideal debut for the Yankees. He was signed by the team back in December. He was given a one year deal reportedly worth $5 million. Capuano is an 11-year veteran, who was recently activated from the DL to make his first start as a Yankee. The veteran should be able to fill in well for the Yankees, and his experience will certainly come into play.

5. Adam Warren: Warren has been with the Yankees each of his three years in the MLB and was recently promoted to the starting role. He originally was the setup man for the Yankees, and has seen an increased role over the past few years. Warren has started in eight games this year, and the Yankees have won five of those eight games behind him. His record is 2-3, and he has a somewhat high ERA of 4.26. Warren is a good fill-in for all of the injuries the Yankees have suffered, and his role may be increased if he can prove he is a reliable starting pitcher.

The Yankees have managed all of the blows to their lineup very well this season, and they are tied for the best AL East record with a 22-19 record. Once the Yankees get back from these injuries, their pitching threat will be very destructive against opposing offenses.

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