New York Yankees' Phil Hughes gets good news from specialist

The announcement was made by a team spokesman in the press box of Comerica Park in the third inning of Monday night's Yankees-Tigers game. No further details were available, but the Yankees did say Hughes will be returning to New York.

Hughes, 24, has been hit hard this season after suffering a mysterious loss of velocity that began in spring training and persisted through his first three starts of the regular season. He was 0-1 with a 13.94 ERA when the Yankees placed him on the 15-day disabled list on April 15, with what they called a "dead arm."

The Yankees tried to rehabilitate Hughes with rest -- he did not throw for 10 days -- and shut him down indefinitely on April 25 after a long-toss session that did not go well.

"I just felt like I had nothing there," Hughes said.

The Yankees sent Hughes for a battery of tests, including two MRIs and a vascular doppler test, which showed "a slight positive that might imply thoracic outlet syndrome," according to general manager Brian Cashman.