Ramiro Pena Appendectomy Leaves Yankees Infield Thin

A little over a week ago, Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez opted for knee surgery that would keep him out of action for several weeks. Ramiro Pena was summoned to provide some infield depth in Rodriguez's place, and so with that in mind:

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Yankees reserve infielder Ramiro Pena underwent an emergency appendectomy surgery this morning at a Tampa Hospital, The Post has learned.

Pena, now, is also going to be out of action for several weeks, with the current estimate being four to six. Pena played on Sunday, but woke up with stomach pains on Monday morning and went to the hospital, where the procedure was performed.

Pena isn't much, as one can glean from his career .566 OPS. But this just further stretches the Yankees' depth, and Brandon Laird was called up to replace Pena on the roster. Laird has a .296 OBP in triple-A. You kind of get the idea.

So you can expect to see the Yankees get involved in the trade market as they search for insurance. They would probably tell you they're content with Eduardo Nunez, who has hit reasonably well as a fill-in, but there's nobody behind him, and there's no way to know just yet how Rodriguez will return. A veteran infield bat might be just what they need, or just what they think they need.