Here we go again. For the third straight season, the New York Yankees must deal with some serious injury issues. Arguably the best three hitters on the team are on the IL in Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and DJ LeMahieu.
Stanton went on the IL last weekend suffering a grade one hamstring strain. Judge just went on the IL the other day with a calf strain, and LeMahieu just went on the IL with a thumb strain. LeMahieu hyperextended it while following through on a swing on Saturday night.
All three have gotten off to tremendous starts in 2020 in the Bronx. Stanton was batting .293 with three home runs and seven RBIs. Judge was batting .290 with a league leading nine home runs and 20 RBIs. LeMahieu, to no surprise, was leading the league with a .411 batting average.
To replace the three players, Thairo Estrada, Clint Frazier, and Miguel Andujar have been recalled. Frazier is the only one of the three that has played since the recalls, and he’s been great. He’s an early 7-for-11 with 8 RBIs.
The Yankees need to flex their depth once again with some key players missing. Judge and LeMahieu should only be out for short stints, while Stanton should be back in a month.
Frazier has provided some much needed offense since getting recalled, and the Yankees are hoping Andujar and Estrada will do the same. Andujar is 1-for-14 this season, while Estrada is 2-for-3.
When the injury bug was present last season, the strong depth of the Yankees was shown as they helped the team win the AL East. It’s time for the depth to show again but with a little more added pressure in a shortened season.