The New York Yankees could desperately use some starting pitching support, as they’ve dipped into their youth ranks to help supplement the loss of James Paxton and others.
While Deivi Garcia has looked phenomenal in his three starts this year, having experienced players is always a bonus. Paxton is a solid pitcher who has dealt with injuries in the past, but the Yankees will have to wait a few more weeks until they can gain back their number two.
Prior to Paxton suffering a forearm flexor strain, he had pitched in five games. Over those five games, he logged a 6.64 ERA, allowing 15 runs, four homers, and 23 hits. Overall, his season has been tumultuous and not a representative of his quality. Last season, he finished the 3.82 ERA, a much more formidable number than the one he has produced so far in 2020.
Nonetheless, adding him back to the rotation will be a positive thing for the Yankees. Manager Aaron Boone stated prior to Thursday’s rain-out that Paxton was sore after throwing on Wednesday. That will subsequently keep him out for more time and shut him down for a few days.
The Yankees will push forward in a doubleheader on Friday, with the first game starting at 4:05 PM. Starters Gerrit Cole and Masahiro Tanaka are scheduled to take the mound, despite both having rocky starts this past week.
The New York Yankees will need to rely on their youth:
With Paxton being out since August 20 and the postseason quickly approaching, the Yankees will have to rely on GarcÃa to pick up the slack. At 21 years old, Garcia is 1-1 with a 3.06 ERA. his last start against the Toronto Blue Jays saw him last seven innings, allowing just two runs.
Hopefully, the Yankees can go on a hot streak and cement themselves in the post-season, which would give them time to recover Paxton and factor him into their plans.