ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The New York Yankees placed right-hander Michael Pineda on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with a strained back muscle and reinstated infielder Brendan Ryan, who had yet to play this season due to a cervical spine injury.
Both moves were expected since Tuesday was the first day Pineda was eligible to be reinstated by Major League Baseball after being suspended 10 days for using a foreign substance -- pine tar -- on the ball during a game against the Boston Red Sox on April 23.
While under suspension, Pineda experienced soreness in the right side of his back while pitching in a simulated game, an injury that was diagnosed via MRI as a Grade 1 strain of the teres major muscle. He is expected to be out approximately 3 to 4 weeks.
Over the weekend, Pineda told ESPNNewYork.com's Andrew Marchand he hoped to begin throwing again on Friday.
Pineda was 2-2 with a 1.83 ERA in four starts at the time of his suspension.
Ryan, signed to a two-year, $5 million contract in the offseason and is expected to serve as a backup to Derek Jeter in his final season, suffered an oblique injury early in spring training and had only 10 preseason at-bats before being shut down when he began experiencing pain in his upper back. That injury was diagnosed as a cervical spine nerve injury.
He was cleared to resume baseball activities a little more than a week ago, and played in seven rehab games with Class-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton, going 8-for-25 (.320). He will be with the club in time for its game against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night.