For a team like the New York Yankees, having two or more players competing for at-bats, innings, or even a roster spot is huge, because competition will bring the best out of the parties involved and will end up benefiting everyone involved.
However, it’s disappointing when competition ends because of an injury. That is precisely what happened to catcher Robinson Chirinos, who was going toe to toe with Kyle Higashioka for a spot on the Yankees’ bench.
However, Chirinos, who the Yankees brought this year thanks to his leadership and playoffs experience, will now be sidelined for weeks after he was diagnosed with a wrist fracture.
He was hit by a pitch in the Yankees’ Wednesday win
The experienced backstop was hit by a Blake Cederlind pitch on the Yankees’ 6-5 spring training win against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
Thursday was a day of undergoing –rays and CT scans at BayCare Outpatient Imaging in Tampa, Fla. For Chirinos. Per MLB.com, Drs. Daniel Murphy and Christopher Ahmad reviewed the images and confirmed that the wrist was indeed fractured.
The Yankees are talking to hand specialists to determine the next steps for Chirinos.
“It’s been awesome having Robinson in here,†Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s been a great teammate; he’s really influenced the catching room. He’s been a lot of fun for me to be around. Just a really good guy. I’m especially hurting for him today, just knowing how much he’s put in to be a part of this team.â€
At 36 years old, Chirinos still has the drive to go to a spring training camp and compete for a spot, which the Yankees certainly appreciate. Splitting time with the New York Mets and the Texas Rangers, he hit .162 with a homer and seven RBI in 26 games.