Yanks Shut Down Marte, Surgery Likely

To the surprise of exactly no one, the Yankees have pulled the plug on the attempted rehab of lefthanded reliever Damaso Marte and now believe shoulder surgery is in his immediate future. The Yankees were hoping that Marte, who missed a chunk of time in 2009 with shoulder soreness but returned to play a key role in last year's post-season, would be able to recoved in time to help them this October, too.

But Marte, who has been on the DL since July 17 with a similar case of left shoulder inflammation, has not responded to treatment. "He's attempted to come back but it just hasn’t worked out,'' GM Brian Cashman said. "We’ll have to go the more aggressive route. That could involve surgery, and most likely will.''

Cashman said Marte will fly from Tampa, where he has been rehabbing, to New York tomorrow to be examined by team physician Dr. Chris Ahmad, before a final determination is made. In Marte's absence, Boone Logan has emerged as the Yankees left-handed specialist out of the pen.