Pineda Sits Down for a Q&A with Sweeny Murti

Here's a little bit of the Q&A with injured starter Michael Pineda:

Q: How do you feel right now?

A: Right now I feel really good.

Q: How disappointing is it to be here (at Yankee Stadium) and not being able to pitch?

A: It’s a little hard for me, you know, because I was so excited in spring training to be coming to New York. It’s New York and I was so excited! But today I came here because I want to be here with my team… and I was excited today too because my father is coming with me to see the New York Yankees for the first time. So today is a big day for me.

Q: We were told the surgery went well. What did they tell you about your rehab and when you’ll be able to pitch again?

A: I need to find out today. The doctor is coming and talking to the trainer to see exactly when and where I do my throwing program.

Q: Is your hope that you’ll be ready to pitch next spring training?

A: Yeah, the doctor before the surgery, he told me, “Hey no worries. You can’t pitch this year, but I promise next year you’ll be ready 100 percent in spring training.” That’s what he told me before the surgery.

...

Q: Yankee fans were really looking forward to seeing you pitch here. Is there anything you’d like to say to them?

A: I want to say I’m real sad for the Yankee fans that want to see me. But don’t worry, I’m going to stay here. And I’ll come back real strong. I’ll keep working really hard for my rehab and I’ll be the same Michael Pineda from 2011.

There's a lot more from the Q&A here. He seems like a good kid, and I hope he can recover from this and start making an impact for the Yanks in 2013.