In the latest episode of “Bronx ER”, the New York Yankees (5-8) suffered yet another injury to a key player when they sent catcher Gary Sanchez on the 10-day IL, which marked the 12th injured player this season. The Yankees called up Kyle Higashioka to replace the Kraken.
Sanchez suffered tightness in his calves over the past week. Manager Aaron Boone inserted Sanchez in the lineup as the DH while they hoped the issue would work itself out. The injury persisted and they sent him on the IL.
Backup catcher Austin Romine will replace Sanchez in the lineup. The Yankees called up Kyle Higashioka from their AAA team in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to backup Romine.
Sanchez led the Yankees with six home runs and looked like he was ready to make a big comeback after a subpar 2018. The Kraken crushed three in the same game last week. He was hitting .268 with 11 RBI before he went down.
Down with Disease
Another day, another member of the Yankees heads to the infirmary. What is going on in the Bronx? Call it bad luck, or wacky coincidence, but the Yankees have yet to catch a break this season. Once again, the replacement Yankees will be forced to step it up.
To complicate matters, the Yankees learned that set-up man Dellin Betances will be sidelined for at least six or seven more weeks. The Yankees desperately miss Betances. The Yanks have lost seven games in which they coughed up the lead late in the game.
With Aaron Judge off to a slow start and Giancarlo Stanton on the IL, Sanchez was the sole power hitter on the Yankees right now.
Bronx ER: Yankees Injured List
Gary Sanchez
Troy Tulowitzki
Giancarlo Stanton
Miguel Andujar
Luis Severino
Dellin Betances
Aaron Hicks
Didi Gregorius
Jordan Montgomery
Ben Heller
Jacoby Ellsbury
The Yankees are also missing their top pitcher, Luis Severino. Although Masahiro Tanaka has pitched well with a 1.47 ERA, the rest of the rotation struggled.
For a bit of good news, CC Sabathia returns to the rotation on Saturday. The veteran lefty will make his first start of the season. This will be Sabathia’s final year as a ballplayer before he retires at the end of the season.
On Deck: Chisox and Bosox
After sweeping the Baltimore Orioles last weekend, the Yanks were swept by the Houston Astros this week. The Yankees returned home to the Bronx to host the Chicago White Sox. They were looking forward to feasting on White Sox pitching, which had the worst ERA in the major leagues.
The Yankees lost the opening game of the series 9-6 in a rain-shortened game. They have two more games this weekend to try to stop their losing streak, which is now at four games and counting.
The Yankees face their nemesis, the Boston Red Sox, for a two-game series next week. The AL East rivals have yet to meet each other this season. The Sox and yanks won 100-plus games lasts season, but both are battling for last place in the AL East.
According to the South Point Casino and Sports Book in Las Vegas, the Houston Astros are the new favorite to win the 2019 World Series at 6/1 odds. The Yankees, Red Sox, and LA Dodgers are all 6/1 odds to win the title.
