Miguel andujar

New York Yankees: Sanchez, Andujar and all the Yankee news in one place

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yankees, joey gallo

New York Yankees start at 3 game series with the Minnesota Twins

With the New York Yankees‘ disastrous homestand going 2-5, they have dug themselves into a hole that is becoming increasingly more difficult to climb out of. If the Yankees can climb out, each new series becomes even more important that they take that series. One-third of the season’s games have already been played, and the Yankees after this homestand have slipped back to fourth place 6 1/2 games behind the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays.

The New York Yankees are 31-29 in fourth place in the AL East. The Minnesota Twins are 24-35, sharing the bottom of the AL Central with the Detroit Tigers. The Yankees suffer from underperforming hitters; the Twins suffer from everything, nagging injuries, and the worst bullpen in baseball.

Today at 8:10 pm, the Yankees will meet the Twins at Target Field in Minnesota with Jordan Montgomery on the mound for the Yankees. He is 3-1 with a 3.92 ERA over 11 games this season with a strikeout per inning. Montgomery will face Michael Pineda, who was with the Yankees from 2014  to 2017. Pineda is 3-3 with an ERA  of .3.40 ERA. He is coming off on June 1st, when he lasted only three innings, giving up five runs. 

Wednesday night Gerrit Cole will face the Twins’ Randy Dobnak, a righty 1-5 with an elevated 6.19 ERA. Then, on Thursday, a yet-to-be-announced Yankee pitcher will face ex-Yankee in J.A. Happ, 3-2 with an ERA of 5.61. Happ was with the Yankees for three seasons, including last year when the Yankees did not offer to keep him in pinstripes.

Gary Sanchez inching his way back?

After an abysmal start to the season, the always controversial Gary Sanchez lost his starting catcher position in what was called a shared start with Kyle Higashioka. In 26 games since Aaron Boone called the team’s catching situation “a day-by-day thing” and said Kyle Higashioka had “earned more playing time,” Gary Sanchez has improved by simplifying his hitting approach. He has five doubles, four homers, and an OPS of .781. This performance, although not ideal, is something the Yankees can deal with.

At the same time aiding Sanchez, Kyle Higashioka’s performance at the plate has dramatically dropped since April 27; he is 6-for-51 with three extra-base hits and an OPS of .426. His power has also seemed to disappear. At one point, he had the most home runs per game. Instead, slugger Aaron Judge has taken over that stat.

Yankees targeting Rangers’ Joey Gallo?

With the New York Yankees in dire need of a permanent centerfield with the loss of Aaron Hicks for the year with wrist surgery, there are all kinds of talks about trades before or at the trade deadline. One name that keeps popping up is the Texas Ranger’s, Joey Gallo. Being a left-hand hitter makes him the perfect fit for the Yankees.

Gallo was a Gold Glover last season and, in 2018, an All-Star. He had hit 40 home runs in 2017 and 2018. The downside to Gallo is that he is more of the same for the Yankees. Although he hits home runs, he leads the AL with 79 strikeouts and has a lousy batting average of just  .207, which is pretty much in line with his career batting average of .208. However, he is a patient hitter and is tied for the most walks (45) in all of baseball. He also has 10 homers on the season.

Oswald Peraza promoted

Another Yankee getting closer to playing a game at Yankee Stadium is the possible future shortstop Oswald Peraza. He is considered one of the top New York Yankee prospects. In 127 plate appearances with High-A Hudson Valley, Peraza leads the team with a .917 OPS. As far as his defense is concerned, he is stellar.

Yesterday Peraza announced that he had been promoted to the Double-A Somerset Patriots. Still very young, he will turn 21 this month and was the youngest Yankees during spring training.

Alex Rogriguez voiced what’s wrong with the Yankees

With the Yankees playing so poorly of late, many opinions are expressed as to what is wrong with the Yankees. They are 31-29, fourth in the American League East, and have been swept in each of the last two weekend series: first in Detroit to the rebuilding Tigers, and then in the Bronx to surprising Red Sox. On Sunday night, they struck out 11 times and left 12 runners on base in another loss.

After Sunday night’s loss Aaron Judge had this to say: “We’ve still got about 100 games left in this season, that’s what we’ve got to focus on, is the bigger picture. We can’t sit here and listen to outside noise telling us we’re this and that.”

Also, Sunday night, former Yankee and ESPN broadcaster Alex Rodriguez added to the noise. Rodriguez, no longer a Yankees adviser, knows the team and management really will after spending 12 seasons with the team and was unsparing in his criticism of the roster. It was refreshing candor from Rodriguez, whose knowledge of the game is undeniable, despite his tangled history within it. In so many words, he said the team must diversify and separately needs life-handed bats.

“Sticky” issue again names Gerrit Cole

Here we go again. Gerrit Cole has again been criticized for using sticky substances to increase the spin rate. Going into a 3 game series with the Minnesota Twins, the Twins Josh Donaldson has suggested that Cole is suspect with sticky stuff. He cited how Cole’s spin rate dropped considerably after an AP story stated that four minor leaguers were suspended for using foreign substances.  Manager Aaron Boone responded to the allegation.

“I don’t make much of it, Gerrit, as well all of our staff members, I believe are mostly above board and will be able to handle this situation in the right kind of way,’’ Boone said. “And it’s not gonna affect the kind of pitchers they are.”

MLB owners met last week and agreed on the need to crack done on pitchers that potentially increase their spin rate with greater revolutions using illegal and prohibited foreign substances.

New York Yankee expectations turn on their head

This season, now a third of the way completed, has been full of surprises. One of the biggest of those surprises is that the New York Yankees are not the team that was projected to be the team to beat on their way to an inevitable World Series appearance. However, now it appears if they continue to play the way they have so far, they might not only lose the division, but they could lose it badly.

Fast forward two months, and New York is looking up in the standings at the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays, the surprising Boston Red Sox, and even the Toronto Blue Jays. The only team worse in the East is the Baltimore Orioles. The Yankee pitching rotation and bullpen have been more than adequate. The problem is that the lineup projected to be the team’s strength is nothing short of lousy.

Those projections at the beginning of the season have been turned on their head. The opposite has played out at home and away. New York ranks among the lowest-scoring teams in the majors and has had to lean heavily on its starting pitching to win any games. At the same time, the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays have been playing better than their projections, and the Yankees don’t seem to be able to win against the teams they are trailing. The Yankees have given no one in baseball any reason to believe that will change.

Miguel Andujar heating up for the Yankees

Miguel Andujar has been living in no man’s land ever since his surgery on his shoulder. His everyday position at third base has been lost to Gio Urshela. While he spent time at the alternate site, the Yankees have struggled to find a place for him on the team where he could contribute. So they tried him at third and first base and in the outfield.

Injuries and underperformance forced the Yankees to give him some playing time. Most of it was in the outfield when Aaron Hicks went down to wrist surgery. With some significant time in left field, Andújar seems to be settling in. The problem, he wasn’t hitting. However, he seems more comfortable at the plate in the past week and appears to be heating up. Andujar was one of the team leaders before his surgery. Last Monday, he hit an exit velocity 102.2 mph home run; he also hit a single in the game. On Tuesday, he hit another hard-hit home run. On Wednesday, a single. On Thursday, he had a 110.2 mph groundout.

On Saturday, he went hitless, but on Sunday, he hit a double. So far, for the season in 85 at-bats, he has 20 hits and 3 home runs, two of them last week. His is hitting just .235, but he appears to be trending up. If he can return to form, it will be big for the Yankees that direly need hitting.

New York Yankees Recap: Yankees slaughtered in an attempt to take the Rays series

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New York Yankees, Kyle Higashioka, gerrit cole

The New York Yankees on Monday went into a 4 game series against their nemesis Tampa Bay Rays. Over the past two years, the Yankees have had a losing record against the Rays, and this year has been no different. They went into Monday’s game 2-6 against them this season. Unfortunately, the Rays won Monday’s game 3-1. But the Yankees have managed to take the last two games, opening up the possibility of taking the second series in a row from the Rays. Back on May 13th, the Yankees won their first series against the Rays in the last two years. If they can do that again, it will be the first time they have accomplished that in the last four years.

In the first inning, with Gerrit Cole on the mound, he faced Randy Arozarena to start the game; he flew out to Andujar in left. Yandy Diaz hit into a force out at second. Austin Meadows tapped back to Cole for the final out of the half, bringing up the Yankees. DJ LeMahieu faced Ryan Yarbrough and singled to right field. Gleyber Torres had a sac push bunt moving LeMahieu to second. Aaron Judge flew out to right. Gio Urshela, with two out and one on, went down looking, stranding LeMahieu. No score.

The second inning was led off by Manuel Margot, who flew out to Gardner in right-center. Joey Wendle flew out to Andujar in left. Mike Zunino went down on strikes to end the half. At the bottom, Rougie Odor ground out to first. Clint Frazier struck out. Miguel Andujar towered out to center for the final out. No Score.

Taylor Walls led off the top of the third inning by striking out. Kevin Kiermaier ground back to Cole but beat him to the bag for the out. Arozarena flew out to Gardner. Kyle Higashioka ground out to third. Gardner hit a homer to right. LeMahieu ground out to short. Torres flew out to center to end the inning, but the Yankees got on the board with Gardner’s first home run of the season. New York Yankees 1 Rays 0.

At the top of the fourth inning, Brandon Lowe walked. Diaz went down looking. Meadows got a two-run homer into the Yankee bullpen as the Rays pulled ahead of the Yankees. Margot popped out to second. Wendle struck out to end the half. At the bottom, Judge got a base hit to center. Urshela lined to left for a double, moving Judge to third base to set up the Yankees in the fourth with no outs. Odor flew out to foul territory in right, holding the runners. Frazier, with one out and two on, went down looking. Andujar struck out stranding two. Tampa Bay Rays 2 Yankees 1.

Mike Zunino led off the top of the fifth inning by walking. I seldom say this, but it seems that Cole is not getting the benefit of the calls afforded to Yarbrough. Walls went down looking. Kiermairer running to first went outside the baseline to avoid a tag but was still called safe. Arozarena went down swinging. Lowe doubled driving in Zunino.  Diaz singled, driving in two more runs. Meadows flew out to left, but the Rays tacked on 3 more runs. At the bottom, Higashioka popped out to second. Brett Gardner, who has scored the only Yankees run, doubled. LeMahieu was tagged out going to first with Gardner moving to third with two outs. Torres ground out to short stranding Gardner. Tampa 5 Yankees 1.

With Nick Nelson on the mound at the top of the sixth, Margot ground out. Wendle went down on strikes. Zunino was plunked by a pitch and advanced to first. Walls struck out swinging to end the top. At the bottom, with Yarbrough still pitching, Aaron Judge flew out to right. Urshela chopped out to third. Odor popped out to third. Tampa 5 Yankees 1.

With Nelson still on the mound in the seventh, he struck out Kiermaier. Arozarena hit a single off Nelson that bounced into the outfield. Arozarena stole second. Lowe walked. Diaz walked to load the bases with Rays. Meadows hit a bases-clearing double. Margot ground out to Urshela. Wendle singled driving in Meadows. That was Nelson’s day replaced by Luis Cessa got the final out. At the bottom, ground out to short. Andujar homered into the left-field stands. Higashioka flew out to far left. Gardner hit it on screws directly to Lowe for the final out. Tampa Bay Rays 9 Yankees 2. Aaron Boone was thrown out of the game when he pointed back at the home plate umpire when he returned to the dugout after replacing Nelson.

In the eighth inning, with Cessa on the mound, he got to Walls to fly out to center. Kiermaier ground out to second. Phillips got a two-out double. Lowe flew out to the left-field was with an excellently executed catch by Andujar. Yarbrough, with 92 pitches, was still on the mound, and he struck out LeMahieu on a questionable call causing LeMahieu to slam his helmet on the floor of the dugout.  Torres flew out. Judge popped out to first. Tampa Bay 9 New York Yankees 2.

Brooks Kriske took the mound for the Yankees in the ninth and got Brosseau to ground out to Urshela. Meadows ground out. Margot reached on a tip off the glove of Odor. Wendle ground out to end the half. With last licks on the line for the Yankees and with Yarbrough still on the mound with 103 pitches, Gio Urshela took to the plate and struck out. Odor flew out to the right field warning track. Frazier flew out to left to end the game.

The New York Yankees split the four-game series. The final score was the Tampa Bay Rays 9 and the New York Yankees 2. The losing pitcher was Gerrit Cole and the winning Ryan Yarbrough with a 113 pitch complete game.

 

New York Yankees Recap: First game of the doubleheader went to the Jays

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New York Yankees, Domingo German

The New York Yankees faced the Toronto Blue Jays twice today in two 7 inning games caused by the rain postponement of last night’s game. The doubleheader had Domingo German going for the Yankees and Alek Manoah in his major league debut. The second game featured the Yankees’ Jordan Montgomery vs. the Blue Jays’ Robbie Ray. Going into this doubleheader, the Jays were 5-2 against the Yankees.

Game one:

In the first inning, Jordan Montgomery faced Marcus Semien, who flew out on the first pitch to Torres. Bo Bichette flew out to Gardner in center. Vlad Guerrero Jr., the Yankee killer, struck out to catcher Higashioka for a quick 1-2-3 inning for German. At the bottom, Alek Manoah made his major league debut against DJ LeMahieu, who walked on four pitches. Rougie Odor went down swinging. Aaron Judge went down on strikes. Gleyber Torres flew out to center to end the inning scoreless.

At the top of the second, Teoscar Hernandez sharply lined out to Torres at short. Randal Grichuk went down on strikes.  Rowdy Tellez walked. Lourdes Gurriel flew out to foul territory on a Frazier catch to end the half. At the bottom, the first baseman Mike Ford struck out. Clint Frazier flew out to center. Miguel Andujar singled to short center. Brett Gardner ground out to second for another scoreless inning.

The third inning was led off by Joe Panik, who popped out to Odor. Reese McGuire flew out to Andujar in left. Semien hit a bullet to the left-field stands to put the Jays ahead in the game.  Bichette followed with a back-to-back dinger almost into the same spot as Semien.  A pitch hit Guerrero. Hernandez went down on strikes, but the Jays picked up two runs in the inning. At the bottom, Higashioka flew out to right. LeMahieu struck out. Odor struck out swinging. Toronto Blue Jays 2 New York Yankees 0.

The fourth inning was started out by Grichuk, who popped out to the pitcher Higashioka. Tellez ground out to Odor. Gurriel flew out to Frazier on the track as German bounced back with the Jays going down in order. Aaron Judge led off the bottom by grounding out to third. Torres also ground to third. Ford flew out to left. Jays 2 Yankees 0.

Joe Panik led off the fifth, grounding out to German. McGuire ground out directly to Ford at first. Semien walked. Bichette ground out to Torres. At the bottom, Clint Frazier popped out to second. Andujar, who has had the only Yankee hit in the game, had another hit to right-center. Gardner struck out. Higashioka also struck out for Manoah’s seventh strikeout against one walk. Jays 2 Yankees 0.

Guerrero led off the sixth inning, who struck out on a German curveball in the dirt. Hernandez also went down on strikes. Grichuk singled against the shift, and that was the game for German. He was replaced by Lucas Luetge, facing Tellez, who got a base hit moving Grichuk to third. Gurriel struck out stranded two Jays. At the bottom, with the debuting Manoah still on the mound, he faced LeMahieu, who popped out to short center. Odor walked. Judge flew out to centerfield. Torres ground out to short. Jays 2 Yankees 0.

The last inning of the first game of the doubleheader was led off by Joe Panik ground out to third. McGuire struck out. Semien struck out. With last licks on the line for the New York Yankees, Mike Ford took to the bat and struck for the third time in the game. Clint Frazier broke his bat with a lineout to short. Miguel Andujar ground out to end the game.

The final score was the Toronto Blue Jays 2 and the New York Yankees 0. The winning pitcher was Alek Manoah, and the loser was Domingo German.

 

 

Yankees: Could Miguel Andujar eat into Clint Frazier’s playing time?

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

The New York Yankees outfield has been a medley of shifts, and changes since a few injuries have piled up. With Aaron Hicks expected to potentially miss the remainder of the 2021 season, Giancarlo Stanton recovering from a quad injury, Clint Frazier dealing with a neck issue, and Ryan LaMarre pulling his hamstring, the Yankees are thin at the position.

Currently, they have Brett Gardner in centerfield, Miguel Andujar in left field, and Aaron Judge in right field. Behind them, they have minimal depth, but the Yankees have still managed to extract victories over the past few days, allowing just one run over the last four games.

However, one person’s trash is another man’s treasure, and that is how Andujar is approaching this opportunity. With Frazier hurting his neck, Andujar has been spending time in left field as a starter, recording an RBI and hit in the 7-0 victory over Chicago on Saturday afternoon.

While Andujar starting to build a bit of confidence and momentum, his defensive efficiency still hovers in the below-average category. He was hit with an error on Friday, cutting in front of Gardner as he attempted to make a catch in centerfield. However, Aaron Boone believes he’s making progress with his bat, and that is his primary purpose currently.

“Feel like he’s having some quality at-bats for us,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Hopefully, just with some regular opportunities here, he’s starting to find some traction a little bit. We know what he’s capable of with the bat.”

The Yankees need Andujar to step up defensively, but he’s doing his best:

Defensively, Miguel is fighting to take a step forward, and while Boone justified his struggles, he’s doing the best he can at a position he’s still extremely new at. The question is, can Andujar compete for more playing time even when Frazier returns?

Clint is currently hitting .150 on the season but represents a better defensive player than the 26-year-old Dominican Republic native. It really depends on what Boone wants to do in terms of strategy, rolling with a more offensively proficient option or securing the outfield defensively. Considering how well the starting pitching has performed as of late, I think rolling with Andujar might be a more efficient move in the short term while Clint returns to health.

Long term, I believe Frazier will be inserted into the starting lineup, but he desperately needs to turn his season around at the plate, striking out 27.8% of the time but is earning walks on 14.3% of his at-bats, which is a solid number to start the year. He’s simply been inconsistent in most categories but has the talent to be a + hitter.

New York Yankees: An old friend returns to Yankee Stadium tonight

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

According to YES Network’s Jack Curry, the New York Yankees are calling up Miquel Andujar to possibly replace Gio Urshela at third base tonight when the Yankees meet up the Washington Nationals at Yankee Stadium. Urshela injured his knee making a diving catch at third base last night. After the amazing catch and failed throw to first base’s Mike Ford, Urshela remained on his knee, although he usually recovers from this type of dives immediately. He was removed from the game and sent for an MRI.

It appears the injury is not serious and he will be day to day possibly avoiding the IL. But he may not play during this weekend series. The Yankees will send down Albert Abreu or Micheal King to make room for Andujar on the roster. The New York Yankee fans may be surprised to find out that Andujar has done very well in the first games of the minor league season at Scranton Wilkes/Barre.

EmpireSportsMedia.com’s own Andres Chevez reported on Miguel Andujar’s progress:

“Last night, the Yankees’ former third baseman of the future socked two home runs in the Rail Riders’ 17-11 victory over Syracuse. It should be noted, though, that one of the dingers came off a position player pitching. In total, Andujar finished the night 4-for-5 with two long balls and three RBI, playing first and third base for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate. In three games so far in the 2021 season, Andujar is hitting .462, with three homers and five RBI.”

Miquel Enrique Andujar was born on March 2, 1995, in San Cristobal, the Dominican Republic. He played baseball in the sandlots near his home. He was seen by a Yankee scout that was impressed with his hitting. The Yankees signed Miggy to a minor league contract at the age of just 16 in 2011. After a short time at the Yankees training facility in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, he was sent to Florida. In 2012, he made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Yankees.

Andujar spent until 2018 in the minor leagues, where he honed his skills. At the beginning of the 2018 season, he was with the Scranton Rail Riders, but he made his major league debut on  April 1, 2018. He hit his first major league home run on April 17. On April 23, Andújar hit a solo home run against the Minnesota Twins, marking his 7th consecutive game with an extra-base hit. On June 5, he hit his first major league Grand Slam. On September 29, Andujar hit his 45th double of the season, breaking the Yankees’ record for most doubles by a rookie, previously held by Joe DiMaggio.

Andujar was well on his way to becoming the next big Yankee star even though he wasn’t the best of defenders at the hot corner. April 1, 2019, he injured his shoulder and was put on the 10 day IL. On April 30, he was sent to the Florida Tarpons to rehab, on May 4th, he was reactivated, but he again injured the shoulder on the 13th. On the 21st, he was transferred from the 10 day to the 60 day IL due to a torn Labrum, which caused him to have season-ending surgery.

Meanwhile, the New York Yankees needed a third baseman and brought up Gio Urshela from Scranton. Urshela quickly became admired for his Gold Glove-like performance at the hot corner. Quickly thereafter, he became a star at the plate. When Andujar finally returned, he had lost his job at third, and the Yankees really had no place to put him. They tried different positions; he ended up playing in only 21 games during the 2020 season.

After a nothing special performance this spring training and still no viable position options, he didn’t make the Yankees starting roster. Instead, he was sent down to the alternate site to wait for the beginning of the minor league season. In his first game, he played in the outfield and the last two games at third base. Now, although it may be brief, Miguel Andujar will have the chance to show the Yankees he can still be valuable to them.

Yankees’ Miguel Andujar is off to an impressive start in Triple-A

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

Depending on the outcome of Gio Urshela’s MRI on his injured knee, the New York Yankees could be very shorthanded before Luke Voit’s return, which could come at some point next week. Rougned Odor is also on the shelf, and things could get ugly depth-wise.

As the Yankees try to navigate the situation, and hoping that Urshela’s absence isn’t too long, they do have an infielder who is off to a fast start in Triple-A, and he happens to be an old friend and a known face: Miguel Andujar.

Andujar is not nearly the defender Urshela is, but he could be an option as an emergency third baseman for a few days, and he sure is off to a hot start with Scranton.

The Yankees’ infielder had a night to remember

Last night, the Yankees’ former third baseman of the future socked two home runs in the Rail Riders 17-11 victory over Syracuse. It should be noted, though, that one of the dingers came off a position player pitching.

In total, Andujar finished the night 4-for-5 with two long balls and three RBI, playing first and third base for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate.

In three games so far in the 2021 season, Andujar is hitting .462, with three homers and five RBI.

It’s too early to say if he is back to the form that made him the AL Rookie of the Year’s runner-up in 2018, when he hit 27 home runs, but it sure looks like it in the extremely small sample at our disposal.

Andujar’s career with the Yankees was derailed by a torn labrum surgery in early 2019, and at the same time, Urshela appeared as an above-average third baseman both offensively and defensively and practically ran away with the gig.

But Andujar is still young and could salvage his career with a strong showing in the 2021 campaign.

New York Yankees: The latest injury updates on 8 Yankees

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New York Yankees, Luis Severino

The New York Yankees have had injuries in the spring and before, but have been relatively free of serious injuries that will keep players off the field for prolonged periods. The only serious injury is Luis Severino that was caused by his Tommy John Surgery at the beginning of last season. Here is a breakdown of the injuries and the latest updates for New York Yankee players and when fans could expect them back with the team.

Luis Severino:

On February 27, 2020, Luis Severino underwent Tommy John surgery to repair his elbow. At the time, it was projected he would be away from the team until late summer 2021. That would include a few minor league rehab starts. But recently, manager Aaron Boone has updated his progress, say that he is doing better than expected in his rehab. Boone has actually caught a session from Severino. He is now expected to be back with the team sometime in mid-July.

Miguel Andujar:

Third baseman and outfielder Miguel Andujar has minor hand and wrist soreness that will keep him away from the team at the beginning of the season and with a difficult-to-diagnose injury, possibly beyond. After his poor showing in spring training, when he does come back, he will most likely be sent down to Scranton and won’t be used unless injuries require him.

Luke Voit:

The loss of last year’s baseball home run leader is one of the most significant injuries so far in the spring. Voit had knee surgery yesterday in New York. It was first noticed when he had trouble running the bases. An MRI revealed a partial meniscus tear. He is expected to be away from the team at least until the middle of May.

Justin Wilson:

Left-hand pitcher Justin Wilson was supposed to partially make of for the loss of Zack Britton; he left a March 22 outing with shoulder soreness and tightness. An MRI did not find any serious injury. He is on Anti-inflammatories but will miss the beginning of the season, which is on Thursday of this week. Wilson is progressing nicely and doesn’t want to be in the IL; however, general manager Brian Cashman announced yesterday that he would start the season on the 10 day IL. He will probably return when that expires.

Zack Britton:

It was discovered that left-hand reliever Zack Britton has a bone chip in his elbow. He underwent surgery to have it removed on March 15. There is conflicting information on when fans may expect him to return. Some say six weeks; others say two to three months. Based on the worst-case scenarios, he will be back with the team sometime before the end of June. CBS Sports reports that he won’t be back before May 28th.

Mike Tauchman:

Backup outfielder Mike Tauchman is suffering from a mild self-inflicted injury. Tauchman fouled a pitch off his lower right leg, near his calf, during an eight-pitch at-bat against Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler on Sunday. He is presently icing it down and taking anti-inflammatories. The injury is minor, but his readiness for opening day is questionable.

Clarke Schmidt:

The news on Clarke Schmidt’s elbow injury is not good. He experienced an extensor strain in his right elbow; it’s a common ailment and not long-term serious. Manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that Schmidt’s return to throwing could be “imminent.” However, no matter how minor, he will have to build back up for season play, and he is expected to be out until May 31 after being put on the 60-day IL on Saturday.

Aaron Judge:

Fans were wondering why Aaron Judge was not in yesterday’s New York Yankee’s game after also missing the game before. The good news is that there is nothing seriously wrong with the slugger. He is under the weather. He has gone through the COVID health protocols and has passed those. Both general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone said he would be ready to start the season on Thursday. Other sources say that is questionable.

 

 

Yankees News: Luis Severino, Miguel Andujar injury update, Domingo German on fire

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

The New York Yankees are dealing with a few injuries, thankfully most of their star players are fully healthy and prepared for the start of the 2021 season on April 1. However, players like Luis Severino, Miguel Andujar, and Zack Britton are all fighting to regain their health.

Multiple injury updates for the Yankees:

Luis Severino update:

Severino has been making good progress on his return from Tommy John surgery. He has pitched in two bullpen sessions this spring, and everything went well, according to the coaching staff and Severino himself. In fact, he’s gearing up to take the next step forward, throwing the breaking ball.

“I just want to know,” Severino told on Monday. “I want to start throwing breaking pitches and see how it feels, not just the same day but the next day to see how my arm recovers from throwing those pitches.”

Severino last pitched a full season back in 2018, when he earned a 3.39 ERA over 191.1 innings. Over the last two years, he’s only featured in 12 innings, making an appearance in the latter portion of the 2019 season before tearing a ligament in his elbow last spring.

Miguel Andujar update:

Andujar is dealing with a sore wrist and hand, something that has been bothering him since the winter league. As he fights to make the active roster and land a depth spot, missing time is not exactly what the 26-year-old needs currently. After having a troublesome 2020 campaign where he hit just .242 with one homer and five RBIs, he’s looking for a bounce-back season offensively.

Manager Aaron Boone didn’t seem too optimistic with Andujar and his hand injury, stating that they will monitor the issue and it could keep them out for a few weeks.

“Andjuar is dealing with a muscle strain in his hand that they are going to continue to treat,” Boone said. “He’s got a little bit of a nerve issue there that they’re going to monitor and follow and try to get their arms around, too. But mostly just dealing with a muscle strain that they’re treating in the hand.”

Domingo German on FIRE:

New York Yankees: 7 Yankee player injury updates

by
zack britton, yankees

Since the beginning of spring training, the New York Yankees have been blessed with no major injuries to keep players out for the whole season. Although that is good news compared to the last two seasons, the Yankees have not been unscathed. Here are the most recent updates on the Yankee injured players.

Clarke Schmidt:

Schmidt vying for a place in the starting rotation, was hit early in spring training with bad news on that front. He was the first Yankee to suffer an injury in spring training. Schmidt suffered a common extensor strain. No matter how common he will miss significant time. Aaron Boone said that he is making satisfactory progress over the weekend but is still at least a week away from starting to throw again. Once he starts that, a better prediction can be made when he will pitch against live batters.

Zack Britton:

There have been quite a few minor injuries to players this spring training, but nothing compared to the last two seasons. The most devastating blow to the New York Yankees was when Zack Britton developed soreness in his elbow after a bullpen session. He had an MRI, and it was determined that surgery would be necessary to remove a bone chip from this throwing elbow.

This is particularly devasting due to the loss of Tommy Kahnle to the Dodgers. The Yankee did acquire Darren O’Day to ease the loss of Kahnle, but it made Britton’s role in the bullpen even more important as he would be the key setup man for Aroldis Chapman, even closing some games. Although it is unclear, the surgery is expected to occur today in New York by team surgeon Dr. Christopher Ahmad. He will be shut down for a month to six weeks and will have to build back up, making his return to the team sometime in late May or June.

Luis Severino:

Severino pitched in only three games in 2019 ( ERA 1.50) before needing Tommy John surgery; he lost the rest of the season and all of 2020. Now rehabbing, he is expected to rejoin the team in June or July. The recent reports on his progress are encouraging. Over the weekend, Severino, who has been throwing off the flat, took his first pitches off the mound. Bullpen coach Harkey said that Severino has been “working his tail off” to get back to form. Harkey believes he will be 100% upon his return.

Michael Beltre:

Beltre left Friday’s game against Pittsburgh with a hamstring injury, Marly Rivera of ESPN.com reported. The severity of the injury is not known as he consults with team doctors. Beltre posted a .637 OPS in the minors in 2019. So far this season, he had a hit in 11 plate appearances hoping to make the team. Rehab time for hamstring injuries is hard to predict. He could be back next week, or his spring training could be over; it sometimes takes a couple of months to recover fully according to the injury’s severity.

Robinson Chirinos:

With the loss of backup catcher Erik Kratz to retirement, the Yankees needed another catcher. They solved that with the signing of veteran catcher Robinson Chirinos. He has been playing and catching well, but now all his plans are on hold due to getting hit by a pitch last Wednesday. He is consulting with specialists to determine if he will need surgery. If he does, he will be out for some time.

Miguel Andujar:

In May of 2019, Andujar had season-ending surgery on his shoulder for the budding Yankee star. The Yankees needed a replacement at the hot corner, and they brought up Gio Urshela to fill in, a move that would prove unfortunate for Miguel. Urshela was so good he became the Yankees’ permanent third baseman. Last season he fought his way back even though the Yankees had no place for him, and that continued this spring training as he tried to gain a spot in the lineup. All of that is in question with an odd wrist and hand soreness that has become more intense in spring training. Now he is enlisting the services of a hand specialist. With this type of injury, there is no way to tell how long he will be away from the team.

Aaron Boone:

Over the offseason and particularly at the beginning of spring training, New York Yankee manager Aaron Boone felt punk, just not right. At the start of spring training, Boone noticed bouts of being tired and labored breathing. He consulted with doctors, and it was determined that his heart was beating too slowly and would require a pacemaker to correct the deficiency. In his second week with the pacemaker, the good news is that he back with the team and is feeling great, better than in years.

Although not injured, I have to mention that the New York Yankees have to be encouraged that both Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon seem very healthy and are performing as advertised. The Yankees took a big risk, hiring Kluber and trading for Taillon; both had not pitched for over a year due to injury and surgery.

Yankees News: Injury bug strikes Miguel Andujar, Gary Sanchez ‘unbelievable’

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

The injury bug is slowly starting to take shape for the New York Yankees this spring, as Zack Britton will miss a few weeks needing arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone chip from his elbow. Clarke Schmidt is already dealing with a minor injury that should keep them out for a few more days, and now Miguel Andujar is dealing with a sore hand and wrist.

Andujar is trying to conform to a specific role on the team, primarily as a utility player that can play in the outfield, third base, and first base. Andujar simply isn’t defensively proficient in any specific category, with his offensive attributes keeping him afloat at the major-league level.

An inopportune time for Miguel Andujar to pick up an injury with the Yankees:

“He’s dealing with a sore hand and wrist,” Boone said. “Think he’s seeing a hand specialist tomorrow along with [Robinson] Chirinos to really get a diagnosis of exactly what’s going on there. We’ve held him back because he’s been dealing with a sore wrist and hand and we’ll know more about probably tomorrow or Tuesday.”

Andujar needs every rap he can get the spring to guarantee a spot on the roster, so this is a significant hit for the 26-year-old. He’s been feeling this injury for a few months already, indicating he’s simply played through it.

“Something he felt a little in winter ball. He took a swing and it’s kinda calmed down and he’s obviously playing and fine,” Boone said. “Then, he noticed it in his last game he played. It just got a little more sore again. So we’ve kinda been treating it here these last several days.”

Last season with the Bombers, Miggy recorded a .242 average with one HR and five RBIs. He struggled significantly to get things going over a small sample size, but with the MLB projected to play all 162 games, the Yankees will likely need Andujar to keep fatigue down.

Gary Sanchez’s resurgence has teammates raving:

The return of Gary Sanchez is one of the more exciting storylines this season. So far, the spring, Sanchez is batting .278 with three homers and three RBIs. He’s looked far more comfortable at the plate and has taken a more aggressive role with his defense and adjusting to the new pitchers the Yankees added this off-season. His work ethic can’t be questioned, and that has excited some of his fellow teammates.

“I think he’s been unbelievable,’’ Higashioka said Saturday of his fellow catcher.

“It’s really good to see him swinging the bat well again,’’ Higashioka said. “Last year was definitely tough for him — and everyone — because we all want to see him do well.”

Considering a Hihashioka is his direct competition, it is nice to see how much of a team player he is. Sanchez looks more comfortable at the plate and has been rewarded with confidence-inspiring words from his teammates and coaches. Personally, I believe Sanchez’s struggles are mostly mental and not physical, so going into the regular season with some motivation will do him well.