| Hughes, flanked by Mariano Rivera (left) and Hiroki Kuroda (right), has a back issue. (US Presswire) |
Yankees starting pitcher Phil Hughes is suffering from upper-back stiffness and will miss "a few days," according to every Yankees reporter (MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, for example).
As we move further into the spring, smallish aches and pains like this will continue to happen, so unless it lingers -- and back issues can certainly do so -- this isn't really a huge reason for concern.
Hughes went 16-13 with a 4.23 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 165 strikeouts in 191 1/3 innings. The 26-year-old right-hander figures to slot in the rotation behind CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte. Don't expect a minor back injury in mid-February to change that.
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