A Semi-Update on Phil Hughes

As per Brian Heyman:

Girardi said the Yankees were close to sending Phil Hughes down to AAA.

“But after talking everything out, we realized there’s something going on here. Let’s be smart here,” Girardi said.

So Hughes went on the DL. He’s supposed to start a long-toss program today to try to build arm strength. While Hughes has said he feels fine physically, Girardi also revealed that the 24-year-old righty has been put on anti-inflammatories.

“I think you can look at every pitcher’s arm and probably see some inflammation,” Girardi said.

While I still feel that the Yankees may be playing Russian Roulette with Hughes' right arm, this appears to be a case of 'no news is good news.' That most any fan could recognize Hughes' issues as possible precursors to Tommy John Surgery - loss of command and a significant decline in velocity coupled with a large jump in innings pitched - is a bit disconcerting ... but I have to believe that the Yankees are smart enough to have already MRI'd Hughes' arm, and that they'll continue to monitor the situation closely.