BOSTON _ The All-Star break did nothing to cure the Yankees' injury ills.
General manager Brian Cashman disclosed early Friday afternoon that right-hander Michael Pineda suffered a partial tear of his right ulnar collateral ligament, which likely will require Tommy John surgery.
Cashman said Pineda, 28, was seeking a second opinion on Friday with Dr. Timothy Kremchek before determining whether or not to have the surgery.
Regardless, Pineda, a free-agent-to-be who is 8-4 with a 4.39 ERA this season, is done for the year and may have pitched his final game for the Yankees.
Cashman, who was engaged with the White Sox on Jose Quintana _ a pitcher ultimately dealt to the Cubs _ but found the price tag too high in terms of the high-level prospects Chicago wanted, said he would continue to be "aggressive" in the marketplace but not at the expense of the future.
For now, Cashman will fill the hole created by Pineda's injury "internally," and he did not rule out top pitching prospect Chance Adams as a possibility.
The Yankees will send rookie left-hander Jordan Montgomery to the mound for Friday night's series opener against the Red Sox, followed by Luis Severino on Saturday, then Bryan Mitchell and Masahiro Tanaka, respectively, for Sunday's doubleheader.
Pineda started 6-2 with a 3.32 ERA through May. But he stumbled, going 2-2 with a 6.14 ERA over his last seven starts, including what turned out to be his final one, July 5 against the Blue Jays, when he allowed three home runs in a 7-6 loss.
Cashman said Pineda did not complain of any discomfort in his elbow until two days later in the dugout in the ninth inning of a game, mentioning something to trainer Steve Donohue.
The GM said even with his team staggering a bit, having lost 17 of 25 going into the break and about to embark on a three-city, 11-game trip, the Pineda news doesn't turn him into a seller.
"I've been trying to add, not subtract," Cashman said. "That information (regarding Pineda), as bad as it was, did not turn us into anything other than 'how do we plug the hole for Michael?' "
As for some of the other injured Yankees, Cashman all but said he's not planning on Greg Bird, out most of the season with a right ankle bone bruise, being a significant contributor this season. The 24-year-old saw another specialist last Monday who determined Bird may have a condition called "Os Trigonum Syndrome," essentially "excess bone growth" in the foot area. The initial plan was to try and get Bird through the season with another cortisone shot but surgery "is a very real possibility." Such a surgery would require 6-8 weeks of recovery time.
Cashman acquired Garrett Cooper from the Brewers on Thursday and said the first baseman would make his big-league debut this weekend, likely Friday night, at Fenway. Cooper, 26, will start against left-handers, Cashman said, but may well become the everyday first baseman. Cooper becomes the eighth player to start at first for the Yankees this season and Cashman wryly noted, "The bar has been set very low at that position," this season.
He did have some positive injury news. Designated hitter Matt Holliday, out with the effects of a viral infection, is set to return to the lineup Friday night, and second baseman Starlin Castro (hamstring) started a rehab assignment with Double-A Trenton on Thursday night and could rejoin the Yankees as soon as Saturday.
