Gary Sanchez

New York Yankees: Weekly Recap + ESM Yankee Players of the Week for 7/29-8/4

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New York Yankees, Domingo German

Weekly Recap:

After winning only one of four games at Fenway Park last week, the New York Yankees returned home hoping to regain momentum. After splitting a two-game series with Arizona, the legendary rivalry resumed in the Bronx, though the story would be very different this time. The Yankees would sweep the series, sending Boston plummeting further down in the standings, dropping to 14.5 games back after Sunday’s finale.

The sweep was huge, not just in terms of the standings, but also in showing that the starting rotation is improving. James Paxton, Domingo German, and J.A. Happ all went at least five innings and got wins in their respective starts in this series.

Torres, Ursehla avoid I.L.:

While the Yankees relished in finishing off the sweep on Sunday, it came with a couple of brief injury scares. Gleyber Torres, who was 0-3 with a walk on Sunday, was taken out in the eighth inning with what the team called a “core issue.” Not too long afterward, Eusebio Torres, Gleyber’s father, tweeted:

Translated from Spanish, the tweet reads:

“After the scare tonight, GT is leaving the hospital and everything is fine, the bus waits for him, and they go straight to Baltimore.”

Most likely as a precaution, Torres played the following day against Baltimore as the DH. Torres going to the I.L. would have been another significant blow to the Yankees. They already lost both Aaron Hicks (strained flexor tendon in right elbow) and Edwin Encarnacion (right wrister fracture) last Saturday.

Gio Urshela was also banged up on Sunday after fouling a pair of pitches off his left shin and right knee. He did not play in the first game against Baltimore.

Sanchez to go on rehab assignment:

According to manager Aaron Boone, catcher Gary Sanchez will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday. Following games on Wednesday and Thursday, the all-star catcher will rejoin the Yankees sometime this weekend in Toronto. Sanchez has been on the 10-day I.L. since July 24 with a Grade 1 Left Groin Strain. This is his third I.L. stint due to groin injuries in the past two seasons.

 

And now, with that out of the way, it is now time for this weeks…

Empire Sports Media’s Yankee Players of the Week:

James Paxton & Domingo German:

Paxton:

Vs. Boston (8/2): W, 6.0 Innings, 2 Hits, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 SO

German:

Vs. Boston (8/3): W, 7.0 Innings, 5 Hits, 2 ER, 7 SO

That’s right, the Big Maple and the Ant are ESM’s first-ever Yankee Co-Players of the Week! Both starters turned in quality starts in back-to-back days against the Red Sox, helping the Yankees to a four-game series sweep.

Paxton kicked off the series with his typical first-inning troubles, allowing a two-run home run to J.D. Martinez. After a Gleyber Torres grand slam in the bottom half of the first, Paxton settled down, allowing only one hit and two walks from the second inning on, finishing with six innings of two-run ball and six strikeouts. This was a huge redemption start for Paxton after getting shelled for seven runs in four innings during his last start at Fenway Park.

The next day, German had arguably one of his best starts of the season in game one of a doubleheader. Despite giving up solo shots to Andrew Benintendi and Jackie Bradly Jr., German tossed seven innings of two-run ball with seven strikeouts. This start helped keep the bullpen fresh, as the Yankees deployed Chad Green as an opener in the nightcap.

Honorable Mentions (In no order):

Gleyber Torres:

6 games, 5-24 (.208), 3 HR, 7 RBI, .667 SLG%

Despite hitting just over .200 for the week, Gleyber Torres contributed to the sweep of the Red Sox. In game one, down 2-0, Torres took Eduardo Rodriguez deep for a go-ahead salami, capping off the offense for both teams. The next day, in the nightcap of a doubleheader, Torres knocked a pair of solo shots as part of a 3-for-5 night scoring three runs.

Mike Tauchman:

5 games, 5-17 (.313), 1 HR, 6 RBI, .353 OBP%

The sockman continues to show why GM Brian Cashman may just know what he’s doing despite the opinions of some Yankee fans. After Sunday’s game, Tauchman has slashed .372/.433/.617/1.050 with four home runs and 22 RBI since May 5.

J.A. Happ:

Vs. Boston (8/4): W, 5.2 Innings, 7 Hits, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO

While Happ’s stat line in his latest start isn’t fantastic, he was cruising through the first four innings, allowing only two hits during that span. It was one of his better starts of the year, and the Yankees are now 15-7 in Happ’s started in 2019.

Tommy Kahnle:

1-0, 3.0 Innings, 0.00 ERA, 4 SO, 2 Hits, 1 BB

Kahnle continues his resurgent 2019 with an excellent month of July overall. In 12 July appearances, the righty allowed only one earned run, good for a 0.77 ERA during that span. He also struck out 17 and held opposing batters to a .128 BAA. Due to his strong month, Kahnle was named the American League Reliever of the Month for July.

Gio Urshela:

5 games, 7-18 (.389), .421 OBP%

 

New York Yankees: Gary Sanchez Injury Update

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New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez

New York Yankees’ catcher Gary Sanchez injured his groin while running out a groundball during a game against the Minnesota Twins on July 23rd. The club feared that they were going to lose their slugging catcher for the rest of August however recent news is showing a positive recovery.

Manager Aaron Boone met with media on Sunday that Sanchez would most likely begin a minor-league rehab later this week or next week, per Lindsay Adler of The Athletic. Sanchez also caught a bullpen over the weekend where he said he had no pain.

Bryan Hoch from MLB.com tweeted a video of Sanchez running down the line at Yankee Stadium before a game. This also could have been a drill they were giving him to teach him how to hit the bag properly – which is how he injured his groin.

It looks like Sanchez is nearing the end of his recovery and should be starting baseball activities soon. Boone said that there is a possibility that he comes off the 10-day injured list before next week’s series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Sanchez’s return for this series would be huge as the Yanks will try to bury the Rays in the standings.

Sanchez is currently slashing .229/.299/.508 with 24 home runs and 58 runs batted in this season (Baseball Reference). Prior to his injury, he was slumping a bit where he only had six hits in July and one home run. However, it looked like he was having better swings the Minnesota series and was just having bad luck at the plate.

New York Yankees: Gary Sanchez To The IL With Groin Strain

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New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez

The New York Yankees announced today that catcher Gary Sanchez will be heading to the 10-day IL with a groin strain. Sanchez has really struggled of late, and is batting just .102 in July.

Austin Romine will be the starting catcher for now, as Kyle Higashioka has been recalled from AAA to fill the open roster spot as the back-up. Higashioka is 3-for-15 in the majors this year, and is batting .268 with 16 home runs and 40 RBI in the minors.

Additionally, Jonathan Holder was sent back to AAA and Nestor Cortes Jr. will fill his spot. Holder appeared in the series opener against Minnesota, pitching a scoreless inning. Cortes Jr. was likely recalled because he is fresher.

The Sanchez injury isn’t anything the Yankees can’t overcome, and hopefully he will be back to his normal self once he comes back.

New York Yankees: Gary Sanchez is struggling and here’s why

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New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez

The best catcher in Major League Baseball has only batted .108 in the month of July. New York Yankees gunslinger Gary Sanchez has gone 4-37 through the midway point of July. In Sanchez’s last 11 games he only has four hits (two being XBH) while fanning 17 times.

To give a perspective, last month at this time Sanchez had 12 hits and only fanned 11 times. Talks of a possible injury with his thumb have come up, but manager Aaron Boone and hitting coach Marcus Thames all agree that is not the issue.

New York Yankees: What did Aaron Boone have to say about his slump?

Manager Aaron Boone has said, “It’s a tough stretch for him. He is not putting pitches he should in play when he gets that one he can really pop. It’s more a foul ball or just he’s missing. And such is the ebb and flow of a season, but I don’t think it is thumb-related.”

Thames said, “He’s trying to do too much. He’s getting out of the strike zone and we’ve got to get him back in the strike zone, so he can go back to being himself.” Thames also added that he believes it is not a thumb injury due to when he succeeds at the plate. “He hasn’t said anything to me, but you can just see his exit velo of balls he does put in play, everything is still the same.” Thames said. When Sanchez was swinging it well in May and June, he batted over .320 each month with a combined 15 home runs.

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The Yankees have still done well even with Sanchez’s recent struggles. They are 60-33 and are in first place in the AL East. Being six games ahead of Tampa and ten games ahead of Boston, the Yankees are clear postseason contenders.

I don’t expect Sanchez to struggle long. He is one of the league’s premier players and will come back around eventually. A simple adjustment is needed. I believe Sanchez will break out of this soon and return to his All-Star type of play.

New York Yankees: Taking a look at the mid-season MVPs of 2019

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New York Yankees, DJ LeMahieu

The New York Yankees continue to be one of the best teams in baseball despite being faced with injuries galore. A ton of players have stepped up but these four guys in the running for the midseason team MVP have stood out above the rest.

The top 4 mid-season New York Yankees MVPs of 2019:

4th place: Gleyber Torres 

Torres has been one of the best players on the Bombers this season. With guys like Didi and Judge normally taking a lot of the headlines in the past, their injuries and slow returns have allowed for breakout players. Gleyber has been one of the best hitters on the team this season and is deserving of consideration for best player.

With a .292 average and a .360 OBP with 19 HRs and 50 RBIs, his sophomore season has been, to this point a huge success. He has been vital to the Yankees success and will continue to be essential throughout the remainder of the season. 

3rd place: Aroldis Chapman

The Cuban Missile is on fire this year. Having easily his best season in pinstripes and one of his best seasons ever. Chapman has a 1.82 ERA and 24 saves (1st in AL). Chapman has been clutch with 24/27 save opportunities seeing success. Chapman continues to show his dominance and as he heads back from another all-star appearance, big things are coming for Chapman as the season wears on. 

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2nd Place: Gary Sanchez

Gary Sanchez was written off by many last season, including myself. He’s won Yankees nation back over this season with a dominant year to this point. Slashing .245 with 24 HRs and 57 RBIs and a .315 OBP. He appeared in his second career all-star game and has been the true definition of a cleanup hitter this season. He’s enjoying one of his best seasons and his success is encouraging for the upcoming and long term future. 

WINNER: DJ LeMahieu

A guy who seemed like the odd man out for the lineup early in the season was called upon to step up in the wake of injuries. LeMahieu has since then stepped up and become one of the best players in all of baseball. With a .336 average (1st in AL, 3rd in MLB), 113 hits (2nd in MLB), 65 runs scored (5th in AL), 63 RBIs (4th in AL) and a .383 OBP (8th in AL) LeMahieu is having a phenomenal year. On the field, LeMahieu has been spectacular, but his presence in the locker room is unmatched as well. LeMahieu has been unequivocally the best player in all of baseball and is easily the most deserving of Yankees MVP at the halfway point.

New York Yankees: How Did Players Fare In The All-Star Game

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New York Yankees, Aroldis Chapman

Tuesday evening was the MLB All-Star game, and all five New York Yankees players selected to the team played and had an impact. Keep reading to find out what each player did in the game.

DJ LeMahieu

DJ went 0-for-2 in the game, but played clean defense in his four and a half innings of play. He grounded out to the pitcher in both at-bats.

Gary Sanchez

Gary Sanchez went 1-for-2 and caught a solid half game. He ripped a double to left in the fifth inning and flied out earlier in the game.

Gleyber Torres

Gleyber Torres pinch-hit for DJ LeMahieu in the fifth, and went 1-for-2 in doing so. He struck out his first time up, but reached on an infield single his second time up to the plate.

Masahiro Tanaka

Masahiro Tanaka pitched the second inning, allowing one hit but struck out one to kept the game scoreless. Gary Sanchez caught him as usual. Tanaka actually ended up as the winning pitcher, as the AL won 4-3.

Aroldis Chapman

Aroldis Chapman came in the ninth to get the save, and did so by striking out the side. It was actually a much needed inning of work, as this past week was a bit shaky for him on the mound.

It’s great that the Yankees players performed well at the all-star game, but now it’s time for the second half stretch run.

New York Yankees: Gary Sanchez escapes injury, Luke Voit not so much

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New York Yankees, Luke Voit

The New York Yankees enjoyed a clean sweep of the Boston Red Sox over the weekend in London, putting up a combined 29 runs in two games. However, two influential players, Gary Sanchez and Luke Voit, were forced out due to injury on two separate occasions.

Sanchez, who caught a ball on his left thumb, stated that the finger was sore and would need to be evaluated, but shouldn’t be cause for concern moving forward.

According to the NY Post:

“There was one pitch I caught in my thumb. It’s a little sore, we will see the next couple of days and see how I feel,’’ said Sanchez.

“Not yet, I am going to see them soon,’’ Sanchez said, when asked if he had undergone tests. “I think I am going to be fine, it’s just sore. Ice it well and it should be fine.’’

The All-Star catcher has had a fantastic season up to this point, seeing his defensive skills elevate one year after a tough campaign all around. He allowed 18 passed balls last season in 67 complete games, while only allowing five in 47 games this year. He’s also hitting much better — .261 BA with 23 homers and 54 RBIs, surpassing his numbers from last year while playing in 27 fewer games.

Luke Voit, the starting first baseman for the Bombers, pulled his lower abdomen running the bases after a fifth-inning double on Saturday. He was seeing jogging lightly on Sunday during practice but the injury is cause for concern

“There is concern. I don’t know yet if it will take him out of action for any extended periods. We will take advantage of the off day [Monday],’’ Cashman said before Sunday’s game, in which Voit didn’t play. “Currently no tests are scheduled. If they change that decision we will let you know. He said he is feeling better. I don’t think there is anything new from [Saturday night]. He had a little discomfort. If it is something that will take him off line for a period of time then I think it is going to take a few more days to figure that out.’’

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I anticipate he will be placed on the 10-day injured list while he works his way back from the ailment. There’s no reason for him to play with Edwin Encarnacion on the roster and more than capable of filling in while he recovers. Abdomen issues can be sneaky and re-injuries are frequent with strain.

Especially when considering the flexibility required to play first base, it’s better the Yankees take it easy with Voit and ensure he’s 100% healthy before testing him out in live-action.

 

A Comeback Only Capable By The 2019 New York Yankees

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Entering the top of the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, things were looking bleak for the New York Yankees. JA Happ struggled again, giving up six runs in less than four complete innings.

Trailing 6-1, a new life emerged in the Yankees. By the ninth inning, the Yankees had taken a 10-7 lead.

How it happened

Starting with first and second with nobody out in the sixth, Gary Sanchez picked up an RBI single and Kendrys Morales scored a run on a grounder to short.

Luis Cessa would give up a run in the bottom of the inning, but the Yankees came back with two more in the seventh. DJ LeMahieu had an RBI single and Hicks brought in a run on a flyball.

The Yankees only scored one in the eighth, but it was a big one, putting them within one. Gleyber Torres hit his second solo-shot of the game, the other coming in the second.

Trailing 7-6 entering the ninth, the Yankees needed a final push, and they scored four to take a three run lead. They took advantage of a few defensive miscues, including a misread pop-up to Baltimore catcher Pedro Severino that landed in foul territory.

After Aaron Hicks hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game, Luke Voit was walked before Gary Sanchez teed off on an inside fastball for a three-run homerun.

Only 2019

What a comeback! This is something only capable of the 2019 New York Yankees. With the amount of injuries sustained, they Yankees are using it as motivation to keep winning.

It’s also a great way to start off the road trip. Starting out a road trip with a win builds momentum, especially in a tight division. The Red Sox won on Monday, and the Rays were off.

With three games left against the Orioles, the Yankees have a one game division lead that they will try to increase. The more breathing room the better.

Go Yankees!

 

New York Yankees Comeback Player of the Year – So Far

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New York Yankees, Phil Nevin

If you watched the New York Yankees come back from a 6-1 deficit on Monday night, you might already know who this article is about. If you didn’t you should really check out the highlights, it was a thriller. However, the man in the spotlight is catcher Gary Sanchez, who slammed home a three-run bullet to close out the game in the top of the ninth inning.

Sanchez has had a solid campaign up to this point, but it comes after a very disappointing 2018 season where fans were calling for his head and never imagined he could succeed at the professional level. Well, he proved those fans wrong. His offense has picked back up to a respectable level — hitting .259 on the season with 12 homers over 29 games.

His defense has also been much improved. Last year, he averaged a passed ball every 4.2 games, this season he’s averaging just one every six games, a near 50% improvement. Injuries did hold him back in a campaign where he batted .186 and allowed 18 passed balls.

The fact of the matter is, Sanchez is back to his efficient self, proving his worth on the baseball field and giving the Yankees justification for sticking with him through the bad times.

He certainly showed his worth on a two-out rocket to left field that propelled the Yankees to a  3-run lead in the final inning of a game that looked lost from the start.

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How did the New York Yankees dig themselves into a hole?

J.A. Happ, the pitcher who went 7-0 in 2018, once again performed underwhelmingly. He plunged the Yanks into a 5-run deficit early on and made an embarrassingly bad Baltimore Orioles team look like a bunch of All-Stars.

The Orioles have lost 10 of 12 games recently, and Happ once again looked porous. He currently boasts a 4.44 ERA, and lucky for him, his catcher had to save the day. Hopefully, Sanchez can maintain his health and continue to improve as the Yankees march forward into 2019.

 

New York Yankees Play Poorly In Andujar’s Return, Lose 7-3 To Twins

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

The New York Yankees had an overall poor game-the pitching staff struggled as well as having a limited offense, losing 7-3 to the Twins.

Nobody had it

No Yankee pitcher really seemed to have anything going on Saturday. With the extended use of the bullpen on Friday, Aaron Boone was forced to use the younger, low-leverage guys and it didn’t pan out after JA Happ struggled.

Happ gave up seven hits and four runs over 5 and 2/3 innings of work. He got three strikeouts, walking one and giving up two home runs. Both home runs came off of relatively high fastballs.

Happ got seven ground-balls and six fly-balls, getting eight swings and misses. He threw 81 pitches and 51 strikes.

After Happ, Joe Harvey, Steven Tarpley, and Jake Barrett each pitched, giving up one run each.

It was just one of those days where nobody had it.

Welcome back, Miggy

Miguel Andujar returned from the IL on Saturday, and picked up a hit while batting fourth. That was the only positive; in the field he had two errors-one fielding and one throwing.

But, it was DJ LeMahieu who led the Yankees with two hits, missing the last three games with a knee contusion.

Gary Sanchez hit his 11th home run of the season, now tied for first in the AL. That is extremely impressive since he was hurt for two weeks, and catchers generally rest once every five or six days.

The other Yankee to score was Brett Gardner on a wild pitch, and it seems that that is how a lot of the Yankee runs have been scoring of late.

Torres, Gardner, and Maybin each had base-hits. Defensively, Cameron Maybin robbed Jonathan Schoop of a three-run home run in the fourth. It’s easily the play of the year thus far for the Yankees.

Luke Voit didn’t get on base for the first time all year, ending his streak at 42 games. A very impressive streak for an up-and-coming player.

With weather in the area, Sunday’s rubber-match has been pushed back to a 4:05PM start, still on MLB Network, YES, and Fox Sports Go. Domingo German gets the ball for the Yankees against former Yankee Michael Pineda of the Twins. After everything Pineda went through, it will be nice to see him on a mound again in New York, and he should receive a nice hand.