ARLINGTON, Texas — The road from the Carl Pavano Memorial MRI tube to Dr. James Andrews isn’t a path a pitcher wants to travel.
Yet, at the Yankees’ request, that is the one being taken by Joba Chamberlain, who will have his talented and bothersome right arm examined Wednesday by the noted orthopedic surgeon.
Though GM Brian Cashman wouldn’t comment on why the Yankees are sending the pitcher to Andrews, the MRI exam taken today at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital and read by team doctor Stuart Hershon showed something they wanted a second look at.
“It was my decision to send him to New York and our decision to send him to see Andrews,” Cashman said.
Chamberlain, who will see Andrews in Pensacola, Fla., left Monday night’s 9-5 loss to the Rangers in the fifth inning complaining of stiffness in the upper right arm. He and the team were encouraged that he was throwing in the mid-90s and his slider had teeth to it. However, Hershon obviously saw something he didn’t like.
Chamberlain already has been deleted from his start Saturday against the Angels in Anaheim, Calif., but Cashman said a decision to put him on the disabled list him hasn’t been made.
“I can’t answer that at this point,” Cashman said of a move that likely will be made.
Asked if he was concerned, Cashman said, “I will wait to see what Andrews says to see what I can say.”
Clearly, there is something wrong with Chamberlain’s 22-year-old valuable right arm.
If surgery is needed — and that wasn’t hinted by anybody — it’s likely that Andrews won’t perform it. That chore could fall to Dr. David Altchek, who worked on Jorge Posada’s shoulder recently, or Dr. Tim Kremchek, the Reds team doctor.
As for who takes Chamberlain’s start Saturday, Ian Kennedy likely will get a third shot to prove last year wasn’t an aberration.
“We are leaning toward Mr. Kennedy,” Cashman said of the right-hander who started the season poorly, was optioned to Triple-A after six starts, brought back for three more disappointing outings, placed on the DL with a strained right lat muscle, then optioned to Triple-A, where he is 4-2 with a 2.14 ERA.
In nine games for the Yankees, Kennedy was 0-3 with a 7.41 ERA. It’s a far cry from a year ago when the right-hander was 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA in three big league starts and thought highly enough of for the Yankees to not want to part with him in a deal for Johan Santana.
Because Kennedy pitched Sunday, his next scheduled start was to be Friday. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre right-hander Alfredo Aceves was another option, but he is slated to start Wednesday. Darrell Rasner, sent to long relief Monday and replaced by Dan Giese in the rotation, also was an option.
Though the Yankees discussed signing free agent right-hander Livan Hernandez, that wasn’t a priority.
Joe Girardi said he spoke to Chamberlain today and said he was fine. However, the word in the clubhouse was that Chamberlain was apprehensive about being sent to Andrews.
“You know you are going to miss him but that doesn’t mean somebody else can’t step up,” Girardi said. “All teams deal with injuries but you have to move on.”
If Chamberlain lands on the DL — a strong possibility — he would be the fourth Yankees starter to do so this season. Phil Hughes, Chien-Ming Wang and Kennedy preceded him.