The New York Yankees will attempt to snap a five-game losing streak against the New York Mets on Friday afternoon. After positive COVID-19 tests forced the subway series to be postponed to this weekend, two doubleheaders over the next three days will take place.
The Yankees are coming off a sweep by the Atlanta Braves, with ace Gerrit Cole giving up three homers in his start and the Yankees totaling just two runs over the two contests.
Hopefully, Jordan Montgomery, who will start game one of the doubleheader, can come out firing and give the Yankees pitching support. The offense has been dull and nonexistent the past few days, an indication of the injuries and how they’ve taken their toll on the team.
Injury updates:
There isn’t much positive news when it comes to injuries, with the exception of DJ LeMahieu. It is possible that DJ returns over the weekend, following a two-week rehabilitation. LeMahieu sprained left thumb against the Boston Red Sox.
He had a similar injury in 2018 with the Colorado Rockies, missing a similar amount of time but returning to full form. The Yankees desperately miss his offensive prowess and defensive quality. He is a staple in the lineup, and they have felt the consequences of his absence.
DJ LeMahieu could return this weekend, Aaron Boone said on WFAN. LeMahieu hit on the field at Yankee Stadium today, as did Giancarlo Stanton. LeMahieu will continue getting at-bats in Scranton.
— Bryan Hoch ?? (@BryanHoch) August 27, 2020
As for Aaron Judge, the expectation is that he will land on the injured list once again. After begging management to keep him on the active roster and stating he was 100% healthy, he immediately re-injured his calf. After being taken out of the game, Boone stated that there was a good chance he would land on the IL.
Aaron Judge (right calf) had an MRI today, according to Aaron Boone on WFAN. Boone said it is a recurrence of the same injury and that Judge could be headed to the IL.
— Bryan Hoch ?? (@BryanHoch) August 27, 2020
The New York Yankees have a long list of players on injured reserve at the moment, significantly hurting their active roster. Despite having a deep taxi squad, they simply haven’t been able to replicate the production they saw of the first 15 games of the season. The starting pitching unit is becoming problematic, but the offense not being able to score 8-10 runs per game is the real killer.
Doubleheader preview:
Jordan Montgomery will take the mound in the first game of the doubleheader on Friday. Boone stated that they will utilize the second game of the doubleheader as a bullpen game. It is possible that Michael King gets the start, but Jonathan Loaisiga and Nick Nelson will both get playing time as well.
Facing off against a poor Mets team should give the Yankees an opportunity to bounce back offensively and prepare for the return of LeMahieu. Ultimately, they still have weapons in Like Voit, Clint Frazier, Gary Sanchez, and others.