Yankees OF Brett Gardner leaves game with undisclosed injury

It’s been a roller coaster ride of a season for the New York Yankees, but through it all, they’ve had player after player step up when needed. Now, they’ll be hoping that they don’t need yet another injury replacement.

Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner left Thursday night’s game with the Orioles as a result of injury, but details have not surfaced to this point. The 30-year-old outfielder struck out in the 1st inning, but the injury seems to have occurred during a check-swing on the third and final strike of the at-bat. Various reports have surfaced surmising that Gardner’s injury could be an oblique (he visibly held his left side), but no confirmation has been given at this time.

Since his promotion to New York in 2008, Gardner has been a terrific defender and speedy base-runner, but his offense has also been solid in 2013. For the year, he has a .273/.344/.416 slash line with 8 home runs, and according to Fangraphs, he has been worth 3.3 wins over replacement (WAR), which would place him among the game’s elite outfielders.

As of this writing, the Yankees trail the Tampa Bay Rays by just 1 game in the race for the final Wild Card position, and Gardner’s presence could be crucial in their pursuit of the playoffs. Until a diagnosis emerges, it is tough to speculate, but fans of the Yankees will be holding their breath until news breaks.