Feliciano has tear in shoulder capsule

Pedro Feliciano's season likely is over, and his Yankees future is an open question. The lefthanded bullpen specialist said Thursday he has a tear in his shoulder capsule and will visit Dr. James Andrews, the noted orthopedist, on Monday.

If Andrews recommends surgery, Feliciano said he will agree to have it. "If I do it now, right away, I'll be ready for spring training," he said.

General manager Brian Cashman, who caused a stir this month when he said the Mets "abused" Feliciano by making him pitch so frequently, was realistic about the situation: "He is going to do the right thing and have a second opinion and most likely that opinion will hold up, unfortunately. It's not like this appears to be a close call. In all likelihood, we're looking at a significant surgery.

"Capsule tears are very serious. He could be back, but can he come back and be Pedro Feliciano? I couldn't tell you. We'll wait and hear what Andrews has to say.''

Feliciano led the National League in appearances each of the previous three seasons. He insisted that his injury is not a result of overuse.

"Every year, when I finished my last game, I was healthy. I was tired, but I finished all my games good," he said. "When I came to spring training, I was fine. I was ready to go. I was 100 percent.

"I want to be here. I'm a guy, I like pitching every day. I've been doing that for three or four years," he said. "And now to be shut down for maybe a year, I don't know what's going to happen. That's going to be hard."

Cashman said, "He is a warrior and a competitor and right now he can't compete because of an injury he sustained with the New York Yankees in spring training."

Blistering pitches

Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances, two top Yankees pitching prospects, are on the disabled list in the minor leagues, Cashman said, because of blisters caused by the differences in seams on minor-league baseballs.

Damaso Marte (shoulder) might be ready to pitch by September if all goes well, the GM said, but that is not something the Yankees are counting on . .. Orioles manager Buck Showalter on having Willie Randolph as his bench coach: "It's comforting. Willie has obviously managed, and he went through a lot of wars. He'll tell you what you need to hear instead of just what you want to hear. He can be as blunt as you want him to be. Willie defines reality really well.''