Add catcher Gary Sanchez to the list of New York Yankees spring training injuries. After catching in back to back games, Sanchez reported back soreness. He did not take batting practice on Saturday and did not catch in the game. He did not catch in either of the split-squad games on Sunday. The cause of the soreness is unknown, but we do know that he has not been asked to take an MRI. The Yankees appear to be shutting him down as he is not on the travel list for the Yankee/Phillies game today. When asked about the soreness, Sanchez explained it this way:
“It’s been a little tight, a little uncomfortable,†Sánchez said through an interpreter. “We’re treating it. After catching those two games back to back, I just thought it was better for me to take care of it now. This is the right time to take care of everything. You don’t want to rush anything, especially in Spring Training. You have time.â€
This season working with new catching coach Tanner Swanson has been trying out a new right knee down stance to improve his framing. Sanchez does not know if that is connected to his present back issues. When Aaron Boone was asked if there might be a connection, he said:
“That’s probably the easy thing to run to, but I’m not so sure,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Part of the stance is to alleviate some of the wear and tear. My hope is that over the long haul, it will be something that is a little less demanding physically. When I watch with my eyes, that’s what I’m seeing. I’m seeing him in a more comfortable, less demanding position. That said, it’s different, so I guess there’s certainly a possibility that it could be a contributor.”
Sanchez, in the past three years, has never caught in more than 122 games while suffering several injuries that have kept him away from the field. In May of 2018, he had calf cramps, In June he had a groin injury, late in July he had another groin injury, in May of 2019 he had a head injury, in July he had another groin injury, and in September he had yet another groin injury. Now he has back tightness that is keeping him from regular-season preparation.
“At the end of the day, I just want to be healthy,†Sánchez said. “If I’m healthy, I’m able to make adjustments and get to where I want to be.†Further he said: “As a baseball player, you never want to be hurt,†Sánchez said. “You never want to have any kind of injury that holds you back. I just want to be healthy and try to do what I need to do to get back.â€
In his last game, he dealt with a passed ball and three wild pitches. So far, during spring training, something is not right. He has exhibited a dead bat. So far, he has only an infield single in 17 at-bats (.059). Sanchez thinks this is just a matter of timing that he needs to work on, and he believes it has nothing to do with his back issues.
The Yankees hope that Sanchez can have limited injuries this year. During the offseason, the Yankees lost their long time backup catcher in Austin Romine, who is now a Detroit Tiger. Sanchez’s health will be even more important this season as the new back up catcher Kyle Higashioka who is very experienced. Still, it is not known how he would perform daily if Sanchez had a serious injury.
Sanchez is just the latest addition to Yankees with medical problems so far this spring. Aaron Hicks is out recovering from Tommy John surgery and probably will remain out until the All-Star break. James Paxton, after having back issues dating back to the postseason, has had back surgery and will most likely miss the first two months of the season. It was determined that ace Luis Severino needed Tommy John, and that has been performed and will keep him off the field for the entire year. Giancarlo Stanton developed a calf strain. Aaron Judge had discomfort in his shoulder and has not taken part in batting practice or been in his first game. After a battery of tests, it was finally determined that he had a fractured rib, with no known timetable for his return.