When factoring in the minor injuries that manage to keep New York Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury off the field, it seems likely that he might not play at all in 2019. Being that the veteran hasn’t played in a professional game since 2017, his chances of returning in the next two months aren’t high.
A recent injury – plantar fasciitis – has restrained his ability to run in recent weeks. Manager Aaron Boone has stated that Ellsbury is far from returning to form and will likely miss a good chunk of the season if he can even make his way back to relative health.
The Yankees don’t have time to be patient with paraplegic Ellsbury:
“Jacoby’s been gone for so long,†Boone said, “it’s getting him back into baseball activities, and he’s going to be way behind from that standpoint anyway.”
“First thing’s first with Jacoby — getting him here, obviously going through his physical (exam), and starting to introduce him again to baseball activity. That’s kind of the next step. I haven’t gotten that far down the road yet with Jacoby.â€
The Yankees will be bringing the outfielder to spring training to get him some work, but who knows how long it will take for him to regain his timing and effectiveness at the plate, let alone run on defense.
The New York Yankees are on the hook monetarily:
The Yanks still owe Ellsbury $47 million over the next two years. Saying that number out loud really makes me angry. The expectation for him to play any role this season is low, and we shouldn’t bank on him even featuring at all. With the probability of additional injury being over 50%, especially after hip surgery last year, recouping some of his lost cap in insurance would likely be the most value he provides to the team in 2019.