Oh, Bleak!

So, Phil Hughes is hurt now? How intriguing.

Look, I’m no conspiracy theorist, but something is rotten in the state of Yank-mark (“Dropped Shakespeare on your ass” tag!). While the likelihood that Hughes is injured is certainly high, the timing of the injury is suspect. Let’s consider the facts: the kid’s been jostled around in virtually every start, the boo-birds have begun chirping, he’s clearly lost faith in his stuff and, following his worst start as a Big Leaguer on Tuesday night, the rumblings of a demotion were hot and heavy. It is interesting, then, that the Yankees – in the middle of the game last night – announced that the 21-year-old phenom was headed to the DL with a right oblique strain.

Already, we are hearing about how long these strains can take to heal, and Brian Cashman has uttered the infamous phrase “no timetable” in regard to Hughes’ return. None of this bodes well for the young man. Remember, Phil suffered his first injury, a hamstring pull, on May 1, 2007 (hey – weird!) and didn’t return to the mound until August 4. So, it took three months to heal the hammy. Is there any reason to believe that the oblique won’t keep him out for at least a month?

What I’m suggesting, ever-so-suspiciously, is that this injury is a very nice way to get the heat off of Phil Hughes for a while, without forcing him to endure the humiliation and fallout of being demoted Triple A. He can step away now, take it easy for a time, regroup mentally, and (ideally) regain his command. What’s more, he’ll return to Triple A anyway, only under the guise of a “rehab assignment,” so the Yanks themselves can even escape the stigma of having to ship him down.

On the flipside, if he is truly injured, then I am concerned about his durability. In essence, Phil Hughes has 3 months of Major League experience and he has already been shelved twice with muscle pulls. That’s not a good sign.

So, pick your poison: Phil Hughes the Psychologically Defeated, or, Phil Hughes the Injury-Prone?

And, for what it’s worth (which is really just my own self-satisfaction), it took NY Daily News beat writer Anthony McCarron only six paragraphs to remind us: “The Yankees passed on a blockbuster winter trade that would have sent Hughes to the Twins as part of a package for ace Johan Santana and the Bombers hoped their young pitchers would blossom.”

Ah, the sweet smell of second-guessing. Run, Phil! Run for the hills!