Yankees’ outfielder Aaron Judge (pictured above) is one of multiple Yankees players to be nursing injuries. Judge is dealing with shoulder soreness and an injury to his latissimus muscle (Courtesy of creative commons).
Spring is around the corner and that means there’s a few things Americans can look forward to this time of year. Warmer weather, allergies and baseball. With MLB’s opening day less than a month away, baseball fans across the world are rallying around their beloved teams and are prepared for the quest for the commissioner’s trophy to finally begin.
What can New York Yankees fans look forward to this season so far? The answer lies in the medical reports and prominent club announcements of the previous year.
Coined “a plague” by the club’s skipper Aaron Boone, the Yankees’ injury bug has come back to bite the team in full force to start this year’s spring training. The early season—not even two weeks into preliminary exhibition games—has four Yankee juggernauts out already with all the familiar faces as last year.
Considered the biggest blow of the four, the recent news of starting pitcher and young sensation Luis Severino being sidelined for the entire 2020 season—due to a needed Tommy John surgery—was a gut punch to fans everywhere. Severino is a beloved prodigy and cheerful star that fans adore, yet he appeared in only 20 innings last year as a result of a previous latissimus and shoulder injury. After experiencing forearm soreness in the ALCS series against the Houston Astros, Severino was put on rest and was believed to be ready to pitch this coming year. Yet after the discomfort appeared again after throwing in a bullpen at the start of spring training, the team and its fans braced for the worst. An MRI confirmed the surgery’s necessity and fulfilled the dreadful prophecy that last season had foreshadowed.
Another gruesome hit came to the Yankees’ rotation this season following news of James Paxton, the team’s interim ace last season, needing surgery for the removal of a cyst located on his spine. Perhaps the ailment developed from “Big Maple” singlehandedly carrying the Yankees’ rotation on his back for a good portion of the 2019 season, but only time will tell if he can get back to his sub-3.00 ERA Seattle Mariner days. He’s expected to make a full recovery and begin hurling off the mound again in three months’ time.
Although pitchers seem to be more susceptible to this “Bronx Bomber” illness, it was only a matter of time before it snuck up on the offense as well. The Yankees’ lineup could not escape the coming calamity as outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton—arguably the two best homerun sluggers on the team—got a taste of the injury woes early this year. Judge has missed 110 games in the last two years due to both a latissimus and ongoing shoulder injury, and this year it seems no different as he recently faced some right shoulder soreness following a batting practice. On the other side of the outfield, Stanton, who missed a large portion of last season due to a bicep injury, is out early as a result of an in-game calf strain. The club hasn’t announced definite timetables for their return and will take it “day-by-day,” but fans can only hope for a speedy and full recovery for these two absolute ball crushers.
If you can look past the 30 players who landed on the injury list for 2019, Yankees fans have a lot to look forward this upcoming season. The dominance of Cy Young runner-up Gerrit Cole on the mound, the comeback of rookie stud Miguel Andujar and the endless barrage of homeruns that will follow the likes of Luke Voit, Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres are all very real possibilities that will put a smile on any Yankees fan’s face; yet no one can deny the toll that last year’s numerous injuries put on the players, team and fans. With four injuries already heading into the beginning of the 2020 season, the Evil Empire can only hope for the best for a healthy and successful season.
That’s the thing about setbacks; although they’re sour, it makes the ending a whole lot sweeter. So, grab the crutches, braces and anti-inflammatories for good measure because no matter what happens this season, the Boys in Blue will make their best shot to bring home championship number 28 to 161st Street.