NewsMarte to begin rehab assignment
Yanks lefty has missed most of year with shoulder issueBy Bobbie Dittmeier / MLB.com
07/15/09 8:42 AM ET
Yankees reliever Damaso Marte, who has been out for the past 2 1/2 months because of weakness and tendinitis in his left shoulder, is scheduled to begin an injury rehabilitation assignment Thursday.The 34-year-old left-hander, on the disabled list since May 3, will join the Gulf Coast League Yankees. He threw 35 pitches of batting practice on Tuesday.
Marte, who signed a three-year, $12 million contract during the winter, has pitched only 5 1/3 innings for New York this season, giving up nine runs -- good for a 15.19 ERA. Marte owns a 3.43 ERA in his 10-year career, most of it spent as a setup man.
Marte complained of shoulder soreness while pitching for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic in March. Acquired from Pittsburgh last July, he went 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA in 25 appearances for the Yankees.
He began a throwing program at the Yankees' Minor League complex in Tampa, Fla., in mid-June.
Bobbie Dittmeier is an editor/producer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
