The New York Yankees‘ bad luck is building up going into a four-game series with the Texas Rangers. The Yankees have been mostly unscathed with major injuries to start this season comparing to the last two years, but with today’s news, that is quickly changing. This afternoon the Yankees announced that another regular player was going on the IL, that being Yankee DH Giancarlo Stanton, with a quad strain.
This string of bad luck started last week when seven Yankee staff members tested positive for the Covid 19 virus. That spread to eight when the first Yankee player, Gleyber Torres, also tested positive for the virus. And just today, that number increased to nine Yankees, another on the support staff.
While Torres is on the Covid list, he is being replaced at short with Gio Urshela and Tyler Wade. Torres and the first seven are being quarantined in the team hotel or their homes in the Tampa area. The latest addition is quarantined in Baltimore.
The injuries mounted when centerfielder Aaron Hicks tore a tendon in his wrist. Hicks is on his way back to New York today to visit the Yankees team doctor Christopher S. Ahmad, who practices out of New York-Presbyterian Allen Hospital. Hicks was diagnosed with a rupturing of the protective covering of the left wrist tendon called the sheath.
At first, it was thought that he just might need rest, a cortisone shot, or the injury would require surgery. On Saturday, Hicks took swings from both sides of the plate, and it was decided to put him on the 10 day IL. Hicks has been replaced in center field by Brett Gardner and Ryan LaMarre, who was called up from Scranton Wilkes/Barre.
Today the New York Yankees placed DH Giancarlo Stanton on the 10 IL retroactive to Friday, with a left quadriceps strain. It was originally thought that a few days of rest might resolve the issue, and up to yesterday, he thought he would be available to play in the Texas Rangers series. Still, with today’s announcement, that will not be possible.
The loss of Giancarlo Stanton, even for 10 days, is a big blow to the Yankees; he has been the Yankees’ best player since the beginning of the season, and at times carrying the team on his back when hitters were not hitting. To date, he has batted .282 with nine homers and 24 RBIs in 33 games this season. The Yankees could have called up home run hitting Chris Gettin but instead choose to bolster the pitching department with the additions of Albert Abreu.
In addition to these new injuries, the Yankees have been waiting for the return of pitcher Luis Severino who had Tommy John surgery in 2019, and reliever Zack Britton from bone chip removal. Prospect Clarke Schmidt, flexor strain. Backup catcher Robinson Chirinos and a few other backup players.