NEW YORK -- There was the Cliff Lee non-deal. There was the Michael Pineda trade. There is some sordid history between the New York Yankees and the Seattle Mariners.

The Yankees thought they had a trade for Lee in 2010, but injuries prevented it. They completed the deal for Pineda in 2012, but he ended up taking two years to pitch in the Bronx because of a bum shoulder.

So after coming over from Seattle for Ramon Flores and Jose Ramirez, Dustin Ackley has a herniated disk and landed on the disabled list after a grand total of three at-bats. What gives?

“Timing is everything, and we had bad timing in terms of when he had an issue materialize,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “No complaints in Seattle, no tests, no issues, no treatment.

“He was a hot potato without realizing he was hot. The hot potato fell in our lap, but there was no knowledge on their part that there was something smoldering there. He wasn’t getting any treatments.”

To replace Ackley on the roster, the Yankees called up a reliever, Caleb Cotham, whom manager Joe Girardi thinks can get out righties. The Yankees don't have an obvious utility-man replacement for Ackley after they DFA'd Garrett Jones.

Ackley took an epidural with the hope it will solve the lumbar problem so he can return from the DL by the end of the month.

“In many instances, the epidural gets somebody through it and it is not a problem,” Cashman said. “Many times you have players who have those issues play through them. They never materialize again. Sometimes they need multiple injections with a period of time in between. Sometimes they need surgery. If it is a surgery, it solves the problem. If that is the case in his case, he will be a full player by next spring. I think we are optimistic that after a 20- or 30-day stint we’ll be able to utilize his flexibility. It is the reason why we acquired him.”

In other Yankees injury news, outfielder Mason Williams will have his shoulder operated on, meaning his season is over.