Phil Hughes Out 2 Weeks with Bulging Disk

In the up and down career of Yankees starting pitcher Phil Hughes, he could ill afford a set back, in what will be the walk year of his contract before free agency.

Well, the right-hander is now out for two weeks thanks to a bulging disk in the middle of his back.

Hughes injured his back while covering first base during a fielding drill on Monday, and has been taking medication and resting ever since. Yankees GM Brian Cashman doesn't think the injury is too serious:

"'Hopefully it's nothing major," Cashman said. "The doctor clearly isn't aggressively treating it, and that's a good sign, but there's no guarantees until we get through the two-week process and we see where he's at.
"I'm not going to BS you and say we're not [concerned]. We won't be out of the woods until we see all that stuff. It's a question mark until we can all forget about that it ever happened,'" (ESPN).

Staying healthy is in the best interest of both parties here.

The Yankees can ill afford to lose Hughes to a lingering back issue later in the season, especially with a rotation that is fragile in the back end. Andy Pettitte missed most of last season with a knee injury, and Ivan Nova is coming off the worst year of his career. Michael Pineda, whom the Yankees acquired last off-season for catcher Jesus Montero, is still recovering from elbow surgery; but, he is throwing.

Plus, this is Hughes' final contracted year in New York. If he wants to cash in big next winter, he is going to have to stay healthy, and produce the kind of consistent season - with 15-16 wins - that the  Yankees have been waiting for for years.