Compared to the last two seasons, the New York Yankees have been blessed with far fewer significant injuries, that’s what I said 10 days ago, but since then, the situation has changed dramatically. One of the injuries is a carryover from last year. Luis Severino underwent Tommy John surgery, not allowing him to pitch at all last season. Now Severino is less than two months away from his expected return, but now the question is with the Kluber injury, which pitcher will be back with the Yankees first.
“I know a lot of teams are dealing with the injury bug, us as well now,†Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We’re trying to live in the now and trying to do all we can to get the most out of our guys, but also make sure whenever we can try and prevent these kind of things.â€
Here is a list of the Yankees’ present injuries and the players’ progress.
Corey Kluber, shoulder:
Today will be a very sad day for the Yankees. Today, Corey Kluber and Luke Voit are expected to be added to the IL. Kluber came out of Tuesday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays after only 3 innings, his shortest outing of the season with shoulder tightness. This created immediate concern as he only pitched one inning for the Texas Rangers last season, due to a shoulder injury.
After Corey Kluber’s no-hitter, fans waited with bated breath to see how Kluber would pitch after the Yankees’ 12th no-hitter in its history. Little did those fans know what Kluber knew; he started the first inning with shoulder tightness that he thought might be resolved with the “adrenaline†of the game. Such was not the case, as the pitcher had to leave the game. Before he left, he gave up two earned runs while walking three.
Exams and an MRI have shown that the injury is not as serious ad the one that shut him down last season. It was diagnosed as a Subscapularis strain in the right shoulder. He will not be allowed to throw a ball for four weeks and then undergo at least a month of rehab, making his return to the team sometime after the All-Star game. One thing is for sure; the Yankees will be cautious bringing him back into the rotation. If the Yankees make the postseason, they will be counting on their number two starter to be at his best.
Luke Voit, oblique
Seemingly out of nowhere, Luke Voit is also being shelved with a grade 2 right oblique strain. Voit missed the start of the season due to knee surgery and returned to the team on May 11, and has played in 12 twelve games, not really getting into the form that made him the home run leader in baseball last season. Now he will go back to the IL today. He will be out for at least 10 days assuming there are not future setbacks.
The problem with oblique injuries is that they are extremely unpredictable. Although he is being put on the 10 day, his recovery could take much longer. If you recall, slugger Aaron Judge was out for 54 days with a very similar injury last year. If Voit is out for any significant period of time, it will ruin his season and be a crushing blow to the Yankee lineup, that has several players hitting at less the .200.
Giancarlo Stanton, Quad:
Giancarlo Stanton was scratched in Baltimore due to left quad tightness. Stanton has had a history of quadriceps problems. This issue has arisen in his left quad. He previously had right quad problems in the 2019 ALCS. He was put on the 10 day IL, and the Yankees have not explained the extensiveness of the injury. We know that Stanton usually does not come back quickly from these injuries if they are serious. Luckily for the Yankees, it appears he will be the first player on this list to return.
Stanton was eligible to come off the 10 day IL on Tuesday but was held back because he still hadn’t run the bases. Aaron Boone was asked if he would return during the Toronto Blue Jays series and said it was a possibility. “We’re making sure we’re past this and getting through the final couple days and getting back to playing speed.’’ My guess is that he will return for the first game of the Tigers series at Detroit.
Aaron Hicks, wrist:
The injury to Aaron Hicks isn’t severe, but at the same time, the surgery to his wrist could be season-ending. The injury is a torn sheath on a wrist tendon, the surgery was supposed to take place on Wednesday, no news has been released as to the success of the surgery.
The Hicks injury is significant for the team as after trading away Mike Tauchman they only have three outfielders, Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, and Clint Frazier. The only backups are two inexperienced players that can play in the outfield, Tyler Wade, who is mainly an infielder, and Miguel Andujar, who hasn’t played a season in the outfield. The Yankees, especially after this last injury, have no plans to use Giancarlo Stanton in the outfield. This will facilitate a trade at some point, most likely before the trade deadline.
Joel Sherman, MLB insider announced today on Twitter that Aaron Boone finally acknowledged that Hicks’ wrist injury will keep the center fielder out the rest of the year.
Zack Britton, Bone chip:
Back in March, Zack Britton underwent surgery to have a bone chip removed from his pitching elbow. Earlier in April, Aaron Boone provided a positive update on Britton’s rehab.
“Zack’s doing really well. He’s got full range of motion. I think he is scheduled to start playing catch as early as this week. … The incision and the swelling and all that, which is the biggest hurdle to clear initially, is going really well for him.
Britton is not eligible to return until May 31st., depending on his progress, but recent elbow soreness figures to push back his return. According to (Bryan Hoch on Twitter), Britton will have his first rehab assignment on Saturday with the Somerset Patriots. He is presently projected to return to the team sometime in mid-June.
Clarke Schmidt,
Jordan Horrobin of MLB.com reports that Schmidt has begun throwing again. Schmidt suffered a common flexor strain during spring training. He received a cortisone shot to relieve pain. If pitching off the flat is a success, he will move on to pitch from the mound. There is no timetable for his return. Boone said, “Obviously, it’s going to take a while because he’s starting from scratch essentially, but he’s doing well.â€
Luis Severino, Tommy John:
Severino has been throwing off a mound since March 11 and has been cleared to face hitters.
Severino was originally expected to return to the mound at Yankee Stadium late in the summer, but that has advanced to him returning very late in June or at least before the All-Star break. Last week he was seen at the Tampa complex throwing batting practice with New York Yankees phenom Jasson Dominguez.
Darren O’Day, rotator cuff:
The 38-year-old sidearm reliever is on the 10 IL for a rotator cuff injury. “You talk to any veteran relief pitcher; you’re going to deal with things throughout the year,†Boone said. “This is enough to where it does require a few weeks of shutdown. Hopefully, he can get this thing right and still be an important part of our bullpen moving forward.†He is projected to return to the bullpen sometime during June.
Robinson Chirinos, wrist:
Robinson Chirinos is now at Triple-A Scranton rehabbing. He will play in exhibition games and will be able to return to the Yankees in the next two weeks if needed.
Asher Wojciechowski, lat injury:
Asher is now with the Scranton Wilkes/Barre Rail Raiders. He suffered a lat injury at the end of spring training. He has been day to day and very little information on his rehab is available, but once he is good to go,, he will unlikely return to the team in the short term.