injuries

New York Jets replace long-time trainer after injury-riddled 2019 season (Report)

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New York Jets

John Mellody had been with the New York Jets since 1996 and spent the last 14 seasons as the team’s head athletic trainer.

According to a report from Rich Cimini of ESPN, the New York Jets have removed long-time head trainer John Mellody from the position and replaced him with assistant Dave Zuffelato. Mellody will remain with the organization as a consultant. The Jets have more or less confirmed the news, having updated the staff list on their team website.

An alum of Ursinus College and Syracuse, Mellody joined the Jets in 1996 as the assistant trainer before earning the move up to the top position in 2006 under head coach Eric Mangini. Last season was, unfortunately, an eventful campaign for Mellody and the Jets’ injury list. The team ended the year with 21 players on injured reserve.

Consulted by phone, Mellody declined to comment for Cimini’s report.

Among the casualties were linebacker Avery Williamson (torn ACL) and wide receiver Quincy Enunwa (neck), who were respectively lost in the preseason and opening weekend. Linebacker C.J. Mosley partook in the Week 1 contest against Buffalo before missing the next four games with a groin ailment. He played the October 21 game against New England but an aggravation of the injury put him on IR as well. Others starters who missed games included offensive linemen Kelvin Beachum (ankle) and Brian Winters (knee), as well as defenders Jordan Jenkins (calf) and Quinnen Williams (ankle).

Zuffelato first represented the Jets in 2002 as an intern and became the assistant trainer alongside Mellody in 2006. He earned Athletic Training degrees at Temple and Central Connecticut State University. Robert Daplyn has been hired in his old assistant position, having served in the head position for the Black Knights of Army West Point since August 2016. Fellow assistant Ezron Bryson, a Hofstra alum who has been with the team since 2016, has been retained.

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

 

New York Yankees: How Judge’s injury helps Clint Frazier

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New York Yankees, Clint Frazier

The New York Yankees had their fair share of injuries last season and there was hope that this season would be different. Unfortunately, it seems that there’s going to be a repeat of history this year. Star right fielder Aaron Judge is dealing with another injury and the timetable for a return is unclear.

General manager, Brian Cashman, said that there is no definite idea on when Judge will be 100% healthy again but they do expect him to be ready by “summertime.” It seems that the Yankees are not optimistic about Judge being back for the start of the year.

Despite probably not having one of their best hitters in the lineup for the beginning of the shortened season, the Yankees have another option that can fill that void. Clint Frazier is the best option the Yankees have to fill the empty right field spot. With Aaron Hicks also returning from an injury, Mike Tauchman will fill in at center field and Brett Gardner will slide over to left field when needed.

There have been rumors for years that the Yankees are looking to trade Frazier, but I think if the Yankees really wanted to do that, they would have already. There’s some concerns with behavior, however, you cannot deny that Frazier is a talented ballplayer.

Before Frazier was controversially demoted to triple-A during mid-June last year, he was batting .283 with 22 extra-base hits and 11 home runs. He was one of the league’s best hitters with runners in scoring positions as he held a .375 batting average in such scenarios. After Frazier was sent down and was brought back up later in the year, he was never the same.

I think there’s a pride thing with Frazier, that he almost felt abandoned when he demoted despite having terrific numbers. Some players just have that in them, and that isn’t a problem as long as it doesn’t interfere with the team’s success. An example of a player who was prideful but let it fuel his success is all-time Yankee legend, Reggie Jackson. Of course, Frazier is nowhere near the dominance that Reggie displayed while in pinstripes, but I think there is a part about Frazier that he needs that pride to keep him going – and being sent down did the exact opposite of that.

Judge’s injury could be a big opportunity for Frazier to shine once again. Maybe if it’s for a longer period of time this year, the New York Yankees will keep him on the roster even when Judge returns. Frazier could also play left field as well.

 

New York Jets place CJ Mosley on IR

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The New York Jets‘ biggest addition this off-season was CJ Mosley. Sadly, Mosley’s injuries will limit him to just two games this season.

Adam Gase has announced that the New York Jets are placing star linebacker CJ Mosley on IR. That will put a disappointing end Mosley’s first season with the team.

The Jets have severely missed CJ Mosley this season. Despite the league-leading run defense and top-10 defense in DVOA, his absence has been felt.

CJ Mosley’s two replacements Neville Hewitt and James Burgess have graded out as two of the worst pass coverage linebackers in the NFL. Teams have been able to shred the Jets in zone coverage because neither is able to cover the middle of the field. Hewitt and Burgess are also among the team’s leaders in missed tackles.

Having CJ Mosley in the lineup would change the Jets defense. He would be ab;e to competently cover his zone and he would limit runs in the second level. Two things the Jets have severely struggled with.

None of this is to mention the amount of money Mosley is getting paid to miss the season. CJ Mosley is getting paid $19 million this year. That’s a lot of wasted money for the Jets.

When Mosley has been on the field he’s been a difference-maker. He was the Jets’ best player in week one against the Bills, and he stood out when he returned for a short while in week seven. He’s clearly still the All-Pro caliber players he was when the Jets signed him in the off-season.

Mosley is set to have surgery to fix his groin injury sooner rather than later. Adam Gase is optimistic that Mosely will be healthy in time for off-season activities.

Hopefully, Mosely will be healthy in 2020. the Jets defense isn’t the same without him.

New York Yankees: Infamous Injury Bug Continues to Linger

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New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez

On Thursday night, the New York Yankees played a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. The good news? The Yanks are undefeated when playing doubleheaders this season, winning the first game 10-4, and the second game 6-2. Luke Voit is back to mashing the cover off of baseballs, Gio Urshela is as magical as ever and Austin Romine remains scorching-hot in the batters box.

The ugly news? The infamous injury bug continues to linger around in the Yankees clubhouse. Edwin Encarnacion, Gary Sanchez and J.A. Happ are among the players that were affected today.

Encarnacion left today’s game with a left oblique strain. Initially, it was believed that Encarnacion was exiting the game for precautionary reasons, but is headed to New York for further tests. According to Aaron Boone, “Edwin even took his third at bat and said he wasn’t feeling anything swinging.”

Sanchez is dealing with “left groin tightness.” Sanchez stated that he has experienced this type of feeling before and called it “very similar” to his last injury. He dealt with this same exact issue in 2018, except last season he encountered a right groin strain.

Happ is dealing with left biceps tendinitis and is expected to have tests done in New York. Boone said that the pain bothered him for a few starts, but they decided he could continue to pitch today.

 

Hopefully Encarnacion, Sanchez and Happ all heal quickly and are fresh and energized for the postseason. Encarnacion and Sanchez are especially huge blows if they happen to be out for the rest of the season. Happ, who has pitched better as of lately, could be utilized in the postseason as some point.

New York Yankees: DJ LeMahieu One Of Few Bright Spots Thus Far

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A lot of people questioned the signing of DJ LeMahieu, but the New York Yankees sure didn’t. He has been one of the few bright spots for the team this season, and a big part of the six wins they have.

An older style of offense

DJ LeMahieu has a style of offense that not many players have in 2019. He’s a pure contact hitter that can hit to all parts of the field. Through 14 games, he has just six strikeouts and his average is near .400. His swing and miss rate is one of the lowest over the past few years among active players.

He had a quiet series finale against the White Sox, but had two hits in game one and a hit in game two. LeMahieu may not have any home runs, but has five doubles and seven RBI’s on the season. He is on pace to have his highest slugging percentage of his career, currently sitting at .500.

Reminder, this was the guy that won the 2016 NL batting title with a .348 average.

A solid defender, too

In 17 games that he has played defense, LeMahieu has two errors with one from second and one from third. He hasn’t had a lot of experience before this year at the hot corner, but has played well so far. The error from third was in the first few games.

He is primarily a second baseman, and played there as a member of the Rockies. That is where he won his three gold gloves.

His solid defense and great hitting thus far has led the Yankees to some wins this year. His WAR is at 0.7 for the year, which is pretty high for this point in the year.

He needs to keep doing what he is doing to continue to help the Yankees. With continuous injuries for the team, it’s important that he is having the success he is. His versatility is so important for the team’s defense, and he can be put anywhere in the lineup and have success.

New York Yankees: Why There is No Need to Worry About Their Slow Start

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New York Yankees, Aaron Hicks

The New York Yankees have gotten off to a less than flattering 3-4 start in 2019, highlighted by losing two out of three to two of the league’s worst teams. There is disappointment with the four losses, but there shouldn’t be any worry, yet. There are a lot of contributing factors to their early struggles, so let’s review them.

Injuries

Obviously, injuries are the prominent factor in the Yankees early season struggles.10 main guys are on the IL in Jordan Montgomery, Miguel Andujar, Didi Gregorius, Aaron Hicks, Jacoby Ellsbury, Dellin Betances, CC Sabathia, Luis Severino, Troy Tulowitzki, and Giancarlo Stanton.

We know that Stanton will be back in about three weeks, and that Sabathia could possibly make his next start.

Hicks is just beginning baseball activities, Betances is throwing off a mound and should be ready for rehab soon, while Severino is still throwing on flat ground.

We don’t know a whole lot about the rest of the injuries. We’ll know in about 10 days weather the Yankees can start up Andujar again, or if he’ll need season-ending surgery.

Detroit and Baltimore are off to good starts

The Yankees have played two teams that got off to hot starts.

After taking two out of three against the Yankees, the Orioles went north of the border and took two of three from the Blue Jays before losing to the Yankees in their home opener on Thursday.

The Tigers started the season in Canada, splitting a four game series there. They came to New York to take two of three from the Yankees afterwards, then took their home opener against the Royals.

They aren’t alone

The Yankees are not the only World Series favorite to be losing a lot early. At 3-4, the Yankees are better than some other teams record wise.

The Red Sox are off to a terrible 2-7 start with the worst run differential in the MLB at -26. The Houston Astros have started off 2019 at 3-5. Like the Yankees, they have won the first game of each series and that’s it. Remember, the Yankees and the Astros play on Monday.

Off to the worst start in the MLB are the Chicago Cubs. After winning their opener, they have lost six straight to put themselves at 1-6.

This shows to tell that the best teams don’t always get out to hot starts.

This has happened before

Most years, the Yankees aren’t great out of the gate. They started 5-6 last year en route to a 100 win season.

In 2016, they started out 9-17 on the way to an 84 win season.

In 2009, the Yankees started out 3-4 as they would win it all come October.

The Yankees will get healthy and get back to normal. It may take a while, but they always seem to figure it out.

Morale of the story: the Yankees will be ok, and it’s just a matter of time until they win a lot of games and Baltimore and Detroit start to lose a lot of games. Sadly, it’s also just a matter of time until the team from Boston starts to win too.

New York Yankees Strike Out a Franchise-Record 18 Times in Loss to Detroit

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The New York Yankees struck out a total of 18 times, a franchise record for a nine inning game, and only amassed five hits as they dropped the rubber match of the three game series against Detroit 2-1. The Yankees were an ugly 2-4 during their six game homestand, and also lost Troy Tulowitzki to an injury on Wednesday.

Not getting runners on

The New York Yankees had a 2-for-5 completion rate with runners in scoring position. Judge had an RBI single and Torres had a single that didn’t score a run. LeMahieu, Bird, and Frazier each had singles, making it a total of just five hits for the Yanks. Luke Voit got hits in the three games against the Orioles, but went hitless against the Tigers in three games.

The team did draw four walks, but they aren’t getting runners in scoring position. Judge did have a stolen base, but Brett Gardner was caught stealing.

They may be able to get on base more and have more success at the plate if they improved their situational hitting. Every single guy goes up to the plate hoping to smack one into Poughkeepsie. That mindset doesn’t work at all. Through six games they have just five home runs, and if they just try to put it in play, good things could happen.

Maybe Aaron Boone needs to try some small ball, like in the bottom of the order. Get a guy on then have someone like Mike Tauchman or Tyler Wade bunt or do a hit and run to try to get runners in a better position, even if it may cause an out for the batter.

Loaisiga and Sanchez

Jonathan Loaisiga started the game on the mound for the Yankees, and despite the fact he only pitched four innings he did well. The Yankees had no intentions to stretch him out, and was removed after just 70 pitches. He struck out four but issued three walks and only gave up one hit. He gave first pitch strikes to nine of his 16 batters while getting three groundouts and five flyouts.

Gary Sanchez already has four errors, and has played just five games. He had another bad throw on a steal attempt, allowing Nick Castellanos to move to third. He really needs to get those throws down and on target.

Another one bites the dust

Troy Tulowitzki was injured in Wednesday’s game against the Tigers with a calf strain and will hit the IL. The team is down another position player, forcing them to call up Thairo Estrada to take Tulo’s place. Estrada has been on the 40 man roster for some time, but hasn’t made his MLB debut.

They need guys like Estrada to step it up during these injuries. It may be early on and generally a low-stress time, but we don’t want these losses to pile up too much.

The Yankees will play the Orioles starting on Thursday at 3:05PM. James Paxton will get the ball for the Yankees against the Orioles’ Alex Cobb.

New York Yankees: Another Player Heads to Injured List, Possibly For Entire Season

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

Monday evening before the New York Yankees took on the Detroit Tigers, it was announced that Miguel Andujar will now be on the injured list along with Giancarlo Stanton and many others.

It was announced after Monday’s 3-1 win over the Tigers that Andujar his a small labrum tear in his shoulder and that he will basically be shut down for two weeks. If no improvement come two weeks, season ending surgery may be an option.

Who will the third baseman be?

Our best guess would be that DJ LeMahieu would get the majority of the time at third base, with Tyler Wade getting a few starts. The Yankees called up Wade to counter Andujar on the IL.

So far, LeMahieu has played in three games and has gone 4-for-8 from the plate as well as playing stellar defense, but threw a ball away on Saturday.

Tyler Wade had a strong Spring Training for the Yankees, but hasn’t played any Minor League baseball yet, as Scranton begins play on Thursday (4/4).

We will keep you updated when we know more. This is a developing story.

New York Yankees: Jacoby Ellsbury Undergoes “Season-Ending” Surgery

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The gift that keeps on disappointing, that would be the seven-year, $153 million contract the New York Yankees signed Jacoby Ellsbury to prior to the 2014 season. Ellsbury hasn’t even touched the field once this season and it was announced that he underwent hip surgery that will end his campaign before he even gets a chance to help the Yankees at all this season. Ellsbury has struggled to stay healthy over all five years of the contract, but this season has been the one with the biggest headache.

What would Jacoby Ellsbury provided to the New York Yankees if he were healthy?

If not for his season-long stint on the disabled list, Ellsbury could have well been off the team via a release or a trade. If this were not the case, he would have provided some key outfield depth, which now would be huge with Aaron Judge currently on the DL.

Ellsbury would have been able to replace Judge while he is recovering from his injury and provide the Yankees with an extra bat in the lineup. Ellsbury hit at a reasonable line last year, hitting at a .264 average, .348 OBP, and .750 OPS, so he could have been a key bench player and extra bat that could provide some big hits in the middle to end of the lineup.

Should MLB teams say goodbye to long-term contracts?

With long-term contracts with players such as A-Rod and Ellsbury coming back to bite the Yankees and other teams, with injuries, steroids, underachieving, and more coming into play, teams should really consider not looking to sign players to any longer than 5-6 seasons. Most of the time, when a player is signed to a long-term deal, they achieve to the level they are expected to during the first few seasons, but towards the end of their deals, they start to get older and not perform at the same level.

Even players as great as Mike Trout should not be signed to such a long and expensive deal like Ellsbury’s. No one knows what can happen as the years in contract move along, and you can’t predict it, just like anything else in baseball. It is pretty clear that Trout will be great for years to come, but you never know if he will suffer a bad injury, decline, or something of that nature. That is why teams shouldn’t sign players to long-term deals, no matter how sure-fire talent they are. They could always extend them during their deals so they don’t lose them to free agency if they don’t see any decline in their talent.

If the Yankees find a desperate enough team during the offseason, willing to take on most if not all of Ellsbury’s remaining two years of his contract, they will most certainly move him.

He has been a terrible migraine headache during all his contract years, even when he was healthy. He never performed to what the Yankees valued him at, and never came near the level of talent he performed at while playing for Boston during his peak years. There is nothing more frustrating for a team having to pay a player that isn’t performing to that degree, or even not playing at all, as is the case this season.

The Yankees will look to move on from him as soon as they can and forget about the horrendous and nightmarish contract he has been signed to.