The New York Yankees received some good news on the injury front on Wednesday afternoon, after the results of Justin Wilson’s left shoulder MRI were made public by manager Aaron Boone. The southpaw had to be removed from an appearance against the Phillies on Monday because of left shoulder tightness.
The MRI, which was taken Tuesday on Wilson’s left shoulder, showed “nothing actionable,” according to the Yankees’ skipper.
Prior to being removed; Wilson, signed by the Yankees a few weeks ago to a one-year deal with options, had experienced a velocity decrease on his fastball and the rest of his arsenal, and couldn’t retire any of the four Phillies’ batter he faced that night.
This development, however, means that there is no structural damage in the lefty’s shoulder, which is welcome news to a bullpen that has already lost Zack Britton for the first few weeks of the 2021 season.
The Yankees’ plans with Wilson for the next few days
Right now, the Yankees are listing Wilson as day-to-day, and the diagnosis is that he is dealing with left shoulder tightness.
The next steps include a round of rest and treatment and then, after a few days, trying to resume a throwing program next week if all goes well. A trip to the injured list to start the year can’t be completely ruled out, though.
In fact, the most likely scenario is that the Yankees won’t have Wilson available for the Opening Day tilt against the Toronto Blue Jays, scheduled for April 1. That is a little over a week, and the likelihood is that he will need more days.
Wilson, 33, is part of a formidable Yankees’ bullpen that includes closer Aroldis Chapman and pieces such as Chad Green, Jonathan Loaisiga, Luis Cessa, Darren O’Day, and probably Lucas Luetge and Nick Nelson.