Great injury news from Yankees GM Brian Cashman on two starting players:
With Major League Baseball team owners and players in a showdown to determine the future of the 2020 season, the Yankees are quietly seeing their players return to full health. Before the coronavirus pandemic took full hold of society and suspended operations across baseball, the Yankees were scheduled to start the year without multiple players. Starting outfielders Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Giancarlo Stanton, and starting pitchers James Paxton and Luis Severino were all set to miss time.
However, all of this extra time off has allowed them to heal and hopefully return once the regular season begins (aside from Severino), which general manager Brian Cashman is optimistic about.
Cashman, spoke to the media on a charity video call Thursday that helps raise money for Family Centers, or Fairfield County, Connecticut nonprofit that is helping people impacted by the coronavirus.
During the call, Cashman was asked about injured pitcher James Paxton and centerfielder Aaron Hicks, who are both reportedly recovering well and ahead of schedule.
”He’s been tremendous,” Cashman stated on the call.
Hicks, who underwent Tommy John surgery after the Yankees exited the playoffs in October, has been swinging a baseball bat and started a throwing program. The Yankees would love to have their centerfielder back as soon as possible, given the injuries that continued to plague the unit. The idea of Hicks returning this summer is a “legit option,” according to Cashman.
The Yankees starting outfielder signed a seven-year, $70 million extension just before the 2019 season began, but he only played in 59 games. The hope was that Hicks could remain healthy and lock down the position for the next few years, but it looks like Brett Gardner might have some more time as a starter before his inevitable retirement.
Paxton, on the other hand, has been recovering well after having a cyst removed from his lower back several months ago.
“Feels great,” Cashman said of Paxton. “We’re fortunate to know that one of the better starting pitchers in the game — his issues, looks like they’ve resolved and it’s just simply now tuning up and getting ready.”
New York Yankees skipper Aaron Boone gave us an injury update on four key players in a recent radio interview.
Giancarlo Stanton
Stanton was diagnosed with a grade one calf strain in spring training. He had just two plate appearances and was expected to miss an extended period of time.
“He’s doing really well and should be good to go whenever we get ready to go back,” said Boone of Stanton.
Aaron Hicks
Hicks injured his arm in August, and the team thought that he would be able to avoid Tommy John surgery. He was able to return for part of the postseason, but more tests after the season showed that he did need Tommy John.
“He’s doing really well,” said Boone. “He’s already doing soft toss from both sides of the plate and throwing out to 90+ feet.”
Hicks could potentially be the first player to undergo Tommy John surgery in the offseason and still play on Opening Day.
James Paxton
Paxton underwent surgery in February to remove a peridiscal cyst in his back.
“James Paxton, who’s gonna be ready in mid-May, is on that timeline,” said the third-year skipper. “He’s already thrown five or six bullpens, and I think he actually threw a sim game yesterday to a couple guys where he is. His rehab has gone really really well.”
Aaron Judge
Judge was sidelined at the beginning of Spring Training due to a fractured rib and collapsed lung sustained in September of 2019.
“He’s due for another CT scan, I believe in couple more weeks,” said Boone. “This time down has allowed that rib, that bone, to continue to heal.”
With the season possibly beginning next month, the Yankees hope that players will be able to report soon if they choose to.
Following last year’s postseason, New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks decided to undergo Tommy John surgery after dealing with elbow trouble all season. He successfully had surgery and has been rehabbing since he got it in late October.
Hicks began a throwing program during the middle of March and has continued that. This week it was reported by Brendan Kuty of The Newark Star-Ledger that Hicks had also begun swinging a bat. He has been working out in Arizona since late March and has been there ever since.
Hicks said during an interview with YES Network that he began hitting “with a regular bat and with a fungo, so things have been moving along smoothly.” Besides working to get back to 100%, Hicks has also been doing what everyone is during the quarantine. “Then I go … back home and just hang out and watch TV and just relax,” Hicks said.
Due to the MLB shutdown, a delayed start to the season will benefit Hicks. When he first got the surgery, it was reported that he was aiming for a mid-summer return but it’s possible that Hicks is ready before that. Of course, there’s no reason to rush anything because there’s no set start date yet.
If baseball does return in 2020, the delayed start can be hugely beneficial for the New York Yankees. Aaron Judge, James Paxton, and Giancarlo Stanton have all been dealing with injuries and tweaks on their own and the downtime can pay off if the season begins.
New York Yankees Aaron Hicks continues to make progress in his return from Tommy John surgery. Hicks played only 59 games last season, first coming down with lower back pain, then a flexor strain in his right elbow. After a short return from that in the postseason he ended up tearing his UCL, requiring Tommy John.
In an interview that aired yesterday on the YES Network, Hicks offered that he began swinging a bat last week:
“with a regular bat and with a fungo, so things have been moving along smoothly.”
Hicks also stated that he had been taking physical therapy, and at his home, in Arizona, he has a throwing regiment. After that he does what everybody else is doing during the coronavirus, he goes into the house, relaxes and watches TV. If baseball starts anew in May, there is no guarantee that Aaron Hicks will but will be ready to start with the rest of the team.
Gary Sanchez has been engaging kids during the coronavirus.
New York Yankee catcher Gary Sanchez was shut down after back to back catching gigs during the shortened spring training season, due to a sore back. Little is known right now as to whether that has completely healed or if he is still dealing with it. Getting injury updates during the coronavirus has been very difficult, with players scattered around the county, and the Tampa complex closed down.
We do know through his tweets that he has been engaging children by allowing them to download a Yankee coloring project that features the catcher. His Twitter account is loaded with the children’s efforts. You can tell these kids are all Gary Sanchez fans.
New York Yankee Injury updates:
Little is known of Gary Sanchez’s sore back as he has not tweeted about it, and manager Aaron Boone has had nothing to say about it. Boone is at his home in Greenwich, CT. Aaron Hicks is progressing well in his rehab from Tommy John surgery. Aaron Boone has reported that Giancarlo Stanton has completely recovered from his grade 1 calf strain and is in good form to start the baseball season when it begins.
Aaron Judge suffered a partially collapsed lung and a fractured rib when he dove for a catch near the end of the last season. Upon reporting for spring training, Judge said that he was dealing with a sore shoulder and couldn’t take batting practice. After a lot of delays and a battery of tests, it was finally discovered that it wasn’t his shoulder but a rib that was fractured. Upon further investigation, it was determined that both must have happened during the diving catch.
Tests indicated that the lung had healed, and the fractured rib was slowly healing. Aaron Boone had previously said that as of mid-April that the right outfielder would undergo most tested to see how the healing was progressing and if it would be safe for him to play. With the coronavirus spread ongoing, it is not clear when those tests may now take place.
CC Sabathia feeds the needy in the Bronx
Retired New York Yankee pitcher CC Sabathia continues the tradition of Yankee giving. He is now while taking necessary safety measures, along with his wife Amber giving out food to those in need. This week he had his third weekly of providing needed food to those in need in his hometown of Vallejo, Calif, and the Bronx near Yankee Stadium.
Sabathia is doing this with the help and in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club and the online grocery outlet, Fresh Direct. Sabathia, one of the most revered and loved Yankees, has always stayed close to the needs of the Bronx neighborhood. He has stated the area is hard hit by the coronavirus, and he will continue the one a week food give-aways as long as there is a need.
First, let me give an honorable mention to the London Series when the New York Yankees swept the Boston Red Sox in the historic series at the London Stadium in the United Kingdom. Highlights include the 9 run seventh inning that created the sweep of the rival Red Sox. Although there was a lot of hype about the series, I didn’t include it in the top ten as the games were relatively meaningless, other than Yankee bragging rights.
#10 Brett Gardner’s 100th home run
The 2019 season for Brett Gardner was one of his best ever. The 11-year veteran Yankee player played throughout the season as he found himself everywhere in the lineup with DJ LeMahieu taking his leadoff position in the lineup. Brett hit a career-high 28 home runs, his previous high was 21 in 2017. During the year on April 17, hit his 100th home run in grand fashion with a Grand Slam that allowed the Yankees the 5-3 win over the Red Sox.
#9 Gleyber Torres hits 13 home runs against the Baltimore Orioles.
Gleyber Torres had a breakout season in 2019 hitting 38 home runs while hitting .278. All this while filling in most of the season at shortstop replacing the injured Didi Gregorius. He was an All-Star and an MVP nominee. The highlight of his year was when he made history on August 12, when he hit a 2 run homer against the Orioles. Torres made MLB history with his 5th multi-home run vs any team in a season.
#8 CC Sabathia’s 3000th strikeout
The New York Yankees signed CC Sabathia in 2009 and he helped them with a 19-8 record that brought the New York Yankees their last World Series win in 2009. He followed that campaign with a 21-7 season in 2010. He had seven winning seasons with the Yankees. He retired after an incredible 19 years as a pitcher. The highlight of his 2019 season and his entire pitching career happened on April 30th when he got his 3,000th strikeout. It was in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the strikeout was against former teammate John Ryan Murphy.
#7 DJ LeMahieu’s home run against the Astros
In 2019 no moment in the season was more important than game six of the 2019 ALCS. If the Yankees won the game they would have gone on to a tie-breaking seventh game, and possibly on to a 28th World Series Championship. It was the ninth inning facing elimination on the tenth pitch to DJ LeMahieu, he got a two-run homer off Astros closer Osuna tying the game at four. Yankee fans were elated until at the bottom of the inning Jose Altuve got a two-run homer off Aroldis Chapman, causing the Yankees to lose the series. After the season it was learned that the Astros may have cheated in the series. Although they were never punished for it MLB found them guilty for cheating in the 2017 Yankee ALCS loss.
#6 Back to back walk-offs against the Athletics
On August 31st in an eleven inning dual against the Oakland Athletics, DJ LeMahieu hit a walk-off home run for the Yankee 5-4 win. Gary Sanchez hit two homers in the game. On the following night, Mike Ford made Yankee history when manager Aaron Judge asked him to pinch-hit in the ninth inning. With the game tied at 4 for the second night in a row, Ford slammed a 394′ home run to become the first Yankee rookie pinch hitter to accomplish the feat.
#5 Aaron Hicks’ homer in game 5 in the ALCS at Yankee Stadium.
Centerfielder Aaron Hicks facing Justin Verlander hooked a long home run off the right-field foul pole in the Yankees 4-1 win over the Astros. The Yankees got all four of their runs in the first inning, knocking Houston’s ace Justin Verlander out of the game. Hick’s home drove in three of the four runs in the Yankee win.
#4 Mike Ford and Brett Gardner go back to back.
In a September 1st game against the Oakland Athletics going into the ninth inning the New York Yankees were behind 3-0 at the bottom of the seventh. The A’s scored again in the top of the eighth. At the bottom, the Yankees came to within one. At the top of the ninth, the A’s didn’t score, setting up one of the most dramatic moments of the season. Facing a loss Brett Gardner came to the plate and homered to tie the game. Mike Ford followed in with a booming walk-off home run.
#3 Didi’s Grand Slam in the ALDS.
During game two of the 2019 ALDS against the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees had a seven-run third inning at Yankee Stadium. Shortstop Didi Gregorius was responsible for driving in four of those runs when he approached the plate in the inning and hit a Grand Slam homer off Twins reliever Tyler Duffy.
#2 Aaron Hicks flying catch ends Yankee win in the 10th.
In what was one of the most spectacular defensive plays of the New York Yankee season centerfielder Aaron Hicks made one of the greatest plays of his career. It was the top of the 10th, and the Yankees had just gone ahead in the game at the Twins Target Field. The Twins were set up to win with two on at the bottom of the 10th when Max Kepler walked to the plate with two outs. With Adam Ottavino on the mound, Kepler blasted a line drive to center. Hicks made a flying leap to catch an uncatchable ball for the Yankees win. At the top of the ninth, he had just hit a two-run homer to give the Yankees the lead. At the bottom of the tenth Kepler hit his line drive with two outs. The drive came to Hick with amazing speed, Hick leaped and flew through the air and made the unreal catch as he slammed to the ground breaking the brim of his cap.
#1 Yankees win the division for the first time in seven years!
Setting the mood, on September 19, 2019, the New York Yankees had just learned that ace pitcher Domingo German had been placed on administrative leave by MLB for an alleged violation of the domestic violence rule. That evening just hours later, the Yankees were set to meet the Los Angeles Angels, after missing a chance to clinch just the night before. Masahiro Tanaka was on the mount. The game wasn’t much of a game on the Angels part.
DJ LeMahieu hit a go-ahead, three-run homer for yet another big moment in his first year with New York and old mainstay Brett Gardner homered and had three RBI. The Yankee would go on to win their 100th game of the season, and clinch the American League title for the first time since 2012. The Yankee player met near the mound for understated handshakes and body bumps but avoided the dogpile and possible injuries. The Yankees celebrated in the on the field and in the clubhouse with the traditional champagne.
New York Yankees fans have wondered from time to time why the Yankees haven’t locked up young talents like Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, and others. The answer is likely to surprise fans; it doesn’t have that much to do with the player, it’s the owner. Plain and straightforward, Yankee owner and managing partner Hal Steinbrenner doesn’t believe in it. That’s not to be said that it hasn’t been done, but it does suggest why the Yankees engage in contract extensions so seldom.
This past year was an exception. Aaron Hicks was a season away from free agency at the time, though the outfielder chose to forego the open market in favor of a new contract that paid him $64M in new money through the 2025 season. Hicks will reportedly receive a $2MM signing bonus in addition to a $6MM salary in 2019 before earning $10.5MM annually from 2020-23 and $9.5MM in 2024-25. The club option is said to be valued at $12.5MM (with a $1MM buyout), and while Hicks doesn’t have any no-trade protection on the deal, he’d receive a $1MM assignment bonus upon being traded.
Ace Luis Severino inked a four-year, $40M deal that covered his four arbitration-eligible years as a Super Two player, and the agreement also contains a $15M club option for the 2023 season, which would have been Severino’s first free-agent year. The New York Yankee also arranged a contract extension for Aroldis Chapman, the Yankees designated closer. Chapman declined his opt-out in this contract in favor of a contract extension that will bring him $48 million over three years. It gives him another $18 million in the last two years of the extended contract.
Going back to Steinbrenner’s dislike for contract extensions, the New York Yankees have only given extensions six times in the last eighteen years. One was for CC Sabathia, who, like Chapman, waved his opt-out in favor of a $122 million extension in 2011. Another was the extension for outfielder Brett Gardner who, before his free agency in 2014, accepted a contract extension worth $52 million over four years. Gardner also just signed a new contract that will keep him a Yankee for another two years. The last year of his new contract includes an opt-out and buy out.
The main reason for Hal Steinbrenner’s distaste for extensions is that all of baseball remains so fluid these days. The market for free agents continually changes from year to year and avoiding extensions tends to give the club more options on a yearly basis. An example of that is that if fans got their way last year and the Yankees locked up Judge, Sanchez, and Andujar to long term contracts, It would have most likely not have allowed the Yankees to go out during this offseason and acquire Gerrit Cole for $324 million over the next nine years.
Back in 2010 Steinbrenner in an interview with the Associated Press, he shed light on the subject:
“I just don’t believe in contract extensions, and that’s throughout the organization, no matter who it is. Hopefully nobody takes that personally. It’s just business.”
He also added that it’s just against company policy. Some good examples supporting that is when star player Derek Jeter came up for an extension, it wasn’t offered. Instead, Jeter went into free agency and eventually signed a new contract after some hard negotiations. The same is true of superstar closer Mariano Rivera he went onto the open market before signing a new contract with the Yankees.
During this offseason, the Yankees not only did not offer any contract extension but did not take up any of the player’s options, instead negotiating with them separately for new contracts. Don’t look for the New York Yankees to be issuing any contract extensions in the near future, especially to Aaron Judge or Gary Sanchez, who both have long term injury issues. If there is another exception to the rule, that would most likely be issued to DJ LeMahieu last year’s MVP, who will become a free agent after this season.
In the case of James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka, both who are aging, it is likely that any new contract that the Yankees make with them will be made after the season has concluded if there is a baseball season this year.
When New York Yankees‘ center fielder underwent Tommy John surgery last year (in October, to be specific,) it was believed that he would miss the first half of the 2020 season, at the very least. The procedure doesn’t require the same recovery time in position players than it does on pitchers. However, it was a given that Hicks, a very valuable member of the Yankees’ core, would miss some time of the new season.
However, that is no longer the case. Because of the coronavirus outbreak, the start of the new season, which was scheduled for March 26, has been delayed at least until late May, and that date is very unrealistic given that the COVID-19 landscape in the United States is worsening by the minute.
If there’s going to be a season in 2020, it won’t start until June, with July a more likely date. The Yankees know that, as do every other team in the league. That’s not ideal for everyone involved, except for injured players like Hicks.
The delayed start of the season could help the Yankees’ star
The delayed start of the new season will give plenty of time for Hicks to recover his right elbow and be in the Yankees’ roster in Opening Day, whenever that may be. Of course, it is just speculation at this point, but the possibility of Hicks being ready is growing by the day. He could go from missing half a season to playing from the very beginning!
That will be dictated by his rehab. For now, the Yankees are taking their time with their star center fielder.
Manager Aaron Boone said last Wednesday that Hicks began his throwing program, but there is still no timetable for his return.
Having Hicks from the start would be great news for the Yankees. The outfielder is known for his offensive, defensive and baserunning contributions, but will likely result in a decrease of playing time for the likes of Miguel Andujar and Clint Frazier. After all, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge are also expected to be ready by opening day.
Only time will tell how things will play out, but Hicks could certainly be in the New York Yankees’ lineup from day one.
The New York Yankees have struggled with injuries this offseason; there’s no question about it. However, most of their injured players are recovering nicely, notably James Paxton, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Aaron Hicks.
Hicks is a different case, though, as he played out the postseason in 2019 despite needing Tommy John surgery. The incredible amount of pain-tolerance and motivation Hicks contained last season is courageous.
Manager Aaron Boone provided injury updates on several players this week:
Hicks has officially started his comeback trail program — throwing down in Arizona at his house. Paxton is in Wisconsin with his family, continuing to progress through his throwing program. The lefty starter will inevitably return far sooner than Hicks, who is projected to miss the first half of the 2020 campaign.
Judge, who suffered a stress fracture in a rib last September supposedly, has seen minor improvements in recent days. He is finally resting and taking stress off the injury after scans unveiled a collapsed lung that has since healed. How he didn’t notice this is beyond me.
Stanton, the other Yankees’ slugger, is just about fully healed from a grade 1 calf strain. Despite all of the positive news, the team has not set a date for return, and the MLB is pondering the future season ahead. Will they extend it beyond October or cut games from the regular season? I would imagine the former option makes more sense, but the cold weather can play a detrimental factor for teams on the East Coast.
Boone stated regarding the future season:
“I’m still kind of optimistic [and] hoping for the best that we can get in as many games as possible,’’ Boone said during a conference call Wednesday.
“Obviously, the schedule is gonna be altered to some degree. But this is something that’s bigger,’’ Boone said. “We’re not gonna be able to have our way or our number or the perfect outcome. Our job when we come back, ultimately, is gonna be bigger than the game and all of us, as well.”
For the average fan, getting baseball back is the goal; however, there are more dire situations unfolding across the planet that require far more awareness and concern.
It takes quite a bit of pain tolerance to require Tommy John surgery and still play during the postseason when fatigue has set in, and baseball is at its most intense. Immediately following the New York Yankees‘ elimination from the ALCS in 2019, Hicks succumbed to surgery to repair his elbow ligament.
This offseason, Hicks has spent his days recovering while the Yankees begin spring training with a fresh crop of outfielders. It’s expected that veteran leader, Brett Gardner, will supplement Hicks’ loss until his return in August (projected).
The next steps in his recovery rely on his progress, but he’s hoping to begin throwing in the coming weeks.
“I want to be throwing by then (the end of Spring Training),” Hicks said, per SNY. “I want to be throwing and kind of start becoming a baseball player again. So once I’m able to kind of do that, I’ll start to hit, move around, do some defensive stuff and actually start to be more active. … I kind of want to start throwing first and then I’ll kind of be able to gauge it better from there. But of course I want to get back as fast as possible.”
Hicks mentioned former teammate Didi Gregorius, who experienced the same injury and recovery process. The difference, however, was that Didi managed to avoid significant pain and returned to the Yanks and played in 82 games.
“Didi’s kind of a freak of nature,” Hicks said. “He would say he had no pain and, at times, I’ve felt pain and stuff like that. But we definitely talked a lot, especially about grip strength and just continually to get strong and keep it going. He said that that was a big part of his recovery, was being able to have his grip strength strong and that’s definitely something I’ve been keeping up with.”
Once Aaron does return, Gardner will likely be designated to the bench as he waits for his next opportunity to fill a specific role. It’s always motivating to have so much talented depth at positions of extreme importance.
With spring training in full force after the position players reported on Monday, many players from several baseball clubs, including the New York Yankees, are now letting their feelings be known about how they view the Astros sign-stealing scheme during the 2017 season and beyond.
Some are tempered, feeling disappointed, and some just plain angry, stating they feel that the Astros should have been stripped of their World Championship. Many thought that after Commissioner Manfred issued his report detailing the cheating and issuing punishments for the Astros that included fines, management suspensions and loss of draft picks, that anger over the scheme would subside; the opposite has happened.
Yesterday Aaron Hicks was interviewed at the Yankee’s spring training complex at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. Yankee fans will be glad to know that he said: “I feel great,” referring to his recovery from Tommy John surgery. Hicks is expected to miss at least two months at the start of the season while he finishes his rehab. Hicks played against the Astros in both the 2017 and 2019 postseason. When asked about the cheating, he said:
“It’s just kind of disappointing,” Hicks said. “You feel like you’re on even playing grounds and you lose a heartbreaker in Game 7 and we try to do everything we can do to win ballgames and find out they’ve been cheating. It’s kind of one of those things where it just doesn’t sit well. “The whole point of getting to the big leagues is to compete against the best on an even playing field. Whatever team is better is how it’s supposed to be. But to cheat to win — it’s kind of one of those things where I just don’t understand it.”
Many other Yankees have let their feelings out. CC Sabathia didn’t hold back in an expletive-laced rant saying that he felt cheated of possibly being able to win another World Series ring before he retired after the end of this past season.
Giancarlo Stanton viewed the cheating scandal as disappointing. Even though the MLB could not verify that the Astros also cheated past the 2017 season, many players believe they continued, possibly by different means, but it did continue. Stanton said I believe they continued to cheat right up to the 2019 ALCS. Stanton also said he believes that the2017 World Series title should be vacated.
He like another Yankee player, shortstop Gleyber Torres rationalize that if you win by cheating and you don’t get caught, you are going to continue to do so. They both also suggest that the players should be punished as well.
In what was more like a press conference than an interview, Yankee star Aaron Judge said: “The Astros should be stripped of their 2017 World Series title: “It doesn’t hold any value, it wasn’t earned” In a very Jeter-like interview, Judged remained calm and professional. However, his contempt for the Astros scheme was evident with every word he spoke. Judge, like many players, feels that the Astros have not adequately apologized, many saying that they are only sorry that they got caught. In explaining his disgust over the matter, Judge said:
“When I heard that, I was just sick to my stomach,’’ Judge said. “Once it came out, I was pretty mad. I was pretty upset to know that we were probably cheated out of a possibility of making it to the World Series.”
Aaron Hicks spoke to the league’s lack of suspensions for individual players and the decision not to do so. “Of course, with the Players Association, we want the best protection possible,” Hicks said, “But I feel like that goes against our code and what we want to do, as far as, ‘This is how we make a living.’ And to be able to cheat kind of goes against why we’re here in the first place. We’re here to compete against the best of all teams. Commissioner Manfred defended his decision not to punish players, saying that what they would face around the league this year would be punishment enough. Astros owner Jim Crane stated that you don’t punish players for the lack of leadership at the top.
Concluding his interview, Hicks added:
to find out a guy’s cheating to get ahead, to ultimately win the World Series, just leaves a lot of uncertainty about we could’ve been that team win the World Series. I definitely feel like our team was strong enough to do that because, obviously, we played against them, went all the way to Game 7 — playing against them not knowing they’ve been cheating the whole time.”
One thing is sure, Manfred will stick with his decision not only to not punish players but not to strip the Astros of their 2017 Championship. Manfred may have made it even worse for the Astros as most in baseball believe they were not punished enough and are not remorseful enough, making their year even more difficult as they travel and play in the nation’s ballparks. The Astros will always be known as the team that stole a World Series and was allowed to get away with it. Many in baseball are calling for the resignation of Rob Manfred as baseball commissioner.
