As the days go by and baseball seems like a distant memory, the New York Yankees must find a way to stay in shape and regular season-ready. Holding informal workouts in Tampa has been one way the squad has found ways to exercise, but with players looking to head home in the meantime, injured players will continue to rehab.
This offseason, Aaron Judge, who had been feeling discomfort for several months, was diagnosed with a stress fracture in a rib. Doctors informed him that he was about halfway through the healing process, and he would require a few more weeks to heal.
Giancarlo Stanton, on the other hand, endured a grade 1 calf strain and was set to miss the start of the regular season as well. The expected 7-10 day recovery timeline for a grade 1 calf strain seemed to avoid Stanton, who had missed two weeks before the MLB shut down operations.
James Paxton, who had a cyst removed from his lower back a few weeks ago, had a projected return date of mid-May, but he could be in line to miss minimal time after the regular season was pushed back, potentially for two months.
MLB.com’s Byan Hoch spoke with Brian Cashman, who stated that Judge, Stanton, and Paxton could all return for Opening Day.
Aaron Boone told @MLBNetworkRadio that whenever Opening Day does occur, he believes Aaron Judge, James Paxton and Giancarlo Stanton could all be healthy and ready to go.
— Bryan Hoch ?? (@BryanHoch) March 16, 2020
Who is the most critical loss for the New York Yankees?
The Yankees managed just fine in 2019 without Stanton, as they gathered 103-wins in their quest toward a playoff birth. Judge was more impactful but missed significant time as well. Luckily, the Yankees had a stellar reserve corps that took over with ease — Cameron Maybin, Brett Gardner, and Mike Tauchman had career years in their own respect.
The most substantial loss would have to be Paxton, who pitched to a 3.82 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 2.2 WAR over 150 2/3 innings. With Luis Severino scheduled to miss the entire 2020 campaign, Paxton’s presence will be crucial toward the Yankees’ success moving forward. The reduction in games missed for “Big Maple” is the silver lining in the push back of the regular season.