Joe Girardi confirmed on Wednesday morning what has been obvious for quite some time now: Neither Alfredo Aceves nor Damaso Marte will be seen in a Yankees uniform again this season.
Aceves, on the disabled list since May 12 with what is officially termed a "strained lower back," has been shut down and was being evaluated by a back specialist Wednesday, with surgery a possibility.
Both Aceves and Marte are relief pitchers.
Marte missed four months of the 2009 season but returned in time to pitch well in the postseason, allowing no runs in 10 appearances, including four against the Phillies in the World Series.
But while continuing to hold out hope he could recover in time for the upcoming postseason, Marte acknowledged his shoulder pain was a lot worse this season. "It hurts when I bring my arm to here," he said, raising his hand above his head.
Marte's role in the Yankees bullpen, a left-hander specializing in retiring left-handed hitters, has been assumed this year by Boone Logan, and Aceves' role as a right-handed long reliever by Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre.
"We would love to have them both back, because we saw how important they were to our bullpen last year," Girardi said. "Fortunately we have some guys who have picked up the slack, but you can never have too many arms out there."
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