The New York Yankees might have lost another player to injury with starting pitching James Paxton leaving Friday night’s game against the Twins in the third inning.
According to several reports, Paxton had soreness in his left knee – a good sign being that it wasn’t his throwing arm. A cortisone shot in his knee will likely be the treatment for the recently dominant pitcher.
James Paxton left tonight’s game with soreness in his left knee. He will undergo an MRI tomorrow.
— Bryan Hoch ?? (@BryanHoch) May 4, 2019
Paxton threw just 60 pitched before the Yankees went to the bullpen – Jonathan Holder entered the game and the Twins scored. The run was unearned for Paxton who exits with a 3.11 ERA and was throwing the ball well.
What will the New York Yankees do now?
The Bombers will give Paxton an MRI tomorrow to see what’s wrong with his knee. It’s likely just inflammation and will require a few days of rest – hopefully it’s nothing more than a minor ailment, similar to what DJ LeMahieu suffered.
Losing another starter doesn’t help a team that’s plagued by injuries to start the season. Ace, Luis Severino, and relief pitcher Dellin Betances are both out for an extended period of time, putting the pitching unit in jeopardy.
Losing Paxton could force the Yankees to pursue Dallas Kuchel, formerly of the Houston Astros. While it isn’t ideal by any means monetarily, Dallas would upgrade the unit instantly and take some of the stress off the reserve players.