All Things Bubba

If I weren't so invested in the situation, it would be amusing. All the Yankee fans who were dissing Bubba Crosby only a few days ago are in a tizzy over losing him.

Yup, as I feared, Bubba was put on the 15-day DL today.

Bubba to the bench: The Yankees placed Bubba Crosby on the 15-day disabled list on Friday, purchasing the contract of outfielder Mitch Jones from Triple-A Columbus and adding him to the roster for Friday's game against the Mets.

Crosby suffered a strain of his right hamstring while diving for a ball in the fifth inning on Thursday night. Although the injury isn't believed to be serious, the Yankees decided to make the move before playing three games under National League rules at Shea Stadium.

"They didn't really have time to wait and see how long it was going to take," Crosby said. "Even if it's six days, they don't have the time to let the team go without a 25th man on the bench, especially with three of these games being in a National League park."

"We don't necessarily think it needs to be 15 days, but knowing we're under the gun here, playing short, we felt it was necessary to DL him because he'd probably have been gone for a week," Torre said. "We didn't think we could afford to be without a player that long."

Ah, well. At least he has plenty of time to heal. He can't come back until June 3.

A sampling of the media reports...

The Star-Ledger (NJ): Crosby a tough 'out' for Yankees

Crosby, who started for the fifth time in eight games, felt a "pinch" in his right hamstring diving for Kevin Mench's bloop single in the top of the fifth inning. In the bottom of the inning, Crosby roped a ball down the right-field line, but he was unable to run out a double.

"I feel bad," he said. "I feel like I've let my team down. ... I felt like the team needed somebody like me to step up. I did the best I could to pick them up. The last thing we needed was another injury."

Hartford Courant (CT):

Crosby, who was looking at semi-regular playing time for the first time in his career, hopes to be back when his 15-day stint is up.

"I know that even if it were five or six days," he said, "[the Yankees] couldn't afford to go a man short on the bench."

Crosby, 29, strained a hamstring playing in college, but said this injury isn't as painful.

Bye, Bubba (YankeesRedSox):

You cannot help but feel sorry for Bubba Crosby. Since he came here in 2003, he has done whatever has been asked of him, played hard and waited for a chance. Now, he finally gets his chance and he blows his hamstring. The Yankees placed him on the 15-day DL today and recalled Mitch Jones. Sheffield should beat Bubba back to the team, so the only way Bubba gets playing time when he recovers is if Melky bombs over the next 15 days. Otherwise, it's back to the pine.

Though Bubba just might be back before Sheff, whose rehab seems to be taking longer than anticipated.

In the meantime, Bubba will be watching from the dugout.