The New York Yankees have had injuries in the spring and before but have been relatively free of serious injuries that will keep players off the field for prolonged periods. The only serious injury is Luis Severino that his Tommy John Surgery caused at the beginning of last season. Here is a breakdown of the injuries and the latest updates for New York Yankee players and when fans could expect them back with the team.
Luis Severino:
On February 27, 2020, Luis Severino underwent Tommy John surgery to repair his elbow. At the time, it was projected he would be away from the team until late summer 2021. That would include a few minor league rehab starts. But recently, manager Aaron Boone has updated his progress, say that he is doing better than expected in his rehab. Boone has actually caught a session from Severino. He is now expected to be back with the team sometime in mid-July.
Miguel Andujar:
Third baseman and outfielder Miguel Andujar has minor hand and wrist soreness that will keep him away from the team at the beginning of the season and with a difficult-to-diagnose injury, possibly beyond. After his poor showing in spring training, when he does come back, he will most likely be sent down to Scranton and won’t be used unless injuries require him. His expected return is sometime next week.
Luke Voit:
The loss of last year’s baseball home run leader is one of the most significant injuries so far in the spring. Voit had knee surgery in New York. It was first noticed when he had trouble running the bases. An MRI revealed a partial meniscus tear. He is expected to be away from the team for at least another three to four weeks. His absence from the team has been costly hitting wise as well as his defense at first base. His replacement Jay Bruce has not been performing.
Zack Britton:
It was discovered that left-hand reliever Zack Britton has a bone chip in his elbow. He underwent surgery to have it removed on March 15. There is conflicting information on when fans may expect him to return. Some say six weeks; others say two to three months. Based on the worst-case scenarios, he will be back with the team sometime before the end of June. CBS Sports reports that he won’t be back before May 28th.
Clarke Schmidt:
The news on Clarke Schmidt’s elbow injury is not good. He experienced an extensor strain in his right elbow; it’s a common ailment and not long-term serious. Manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Schmidt’s return to throwing could be “imminent.†However, no matter how minor, he will have to build back up for season play. He was put on the 60-day IL and was expected to be out until at least May 31st. The latest update from Aaron Boone is that he is doing well and might start throwing as early as this weekend. If all is successful, he may return sooner than originally thought.
The good news in all of this is that the last injury report had 8 Yankees on it. Justin Wilson, Michael Tauchman, and Aaron Judge are now back with the team and remain healthy.