Mariano Rivera won't be allowed to throw a baseball untilJanuary, but he's expected to report on time with Yankees' pitchersand catchers in February.
On Tuesday morning, Rivera underwent surgery to shave down acalcification atop the AC Joint in his right shoulder.
"They said there were no surprises. It went as expected," generalmanager Brian Cashman said of the procedure, performed by Metsphysician Dr. David Altchek at Manhattan's Hospital for Special Surgery.
Rivera will begin a throwing program in three months. Cashmannoted that Rivera, who turns 39 on Nov. 29, starts slowly in springtraining and proceeds gradually.
Once the Yankees were eliminated, Rivera revealed that he'd beenbothered all season -- off and on -- by shoulder discomfort. Despitethe problem, Rivera had one of his most dominating seasons, saving39 games in 40 attempts with a 1.40 ERA.
Rivera walked only six batters, with 77 strikeouts in 70 2/3innings.
If Rivera were somehow unable to begin the season on time, Joba Chamberlain might fill the void at closer, though the Yankees wantChamberlain in the starting rotation all year.
The question of who might join Chamberlain and Chien-Ming Wangatop the rotation will start to be addressed later this week whenthe Yankees hold meetings in the Bronx with their pro scoutingstaff, to discuss potential free agent and trade targets.
Full organizational meetings will follow in Tampa, Fla.
Cashman said he has not heard anything yet from veteran startersMike Mussina and Andy Pettitte, who are weighing whether to play in2009.
"They're free agents ... and we're going through our internalprocess," Cashman said.
The 2009 coaching staff will be among the first items addressed.So far, "We've not invited anybody back or made any changes,"Cashman said."
Permission from the Mets to speak with former manager Willie Randolph, still under contract, would not be necessary if theYankees wanted to re-hire Randolph as a coach.
Of all the members of manager Joe Girardi's inaugural Yankeesstaff, third base coach Bobby Meacham has seemed the mostvulnerable.
(C) 2008 The Record, Bergen County, NJ. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved
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