There’s never a good time to see an All-Star go on the DL, but this is a particularly bad time for the Yankees to lose Gary Sanchez.
Gary Sanchez isn’t enjoying a great season, but he still serves as a big threat in the middle of the Yankees order. Unfortunately for Aaron Boone and company, they’ll be without their All-Star catcher for at least 10 days.
Sanchez left the team’s 7-6 loss to Tampa Bay in the 10th inning after pulling up lame trying to beat out a double play ground ball at first base. It was a solid effort from Sanchez, but it’s going to prove costly. Boone admitted after the game that Sanchez would undergo an MRI on Monday to examine his hip/groin and would likely be headed to the disabled list.
The injury comes at a really bad time for the Yankees. The team just suffered their third loss in a row at the hands of the lowly Rays. The first two games were marked by the offense’s inability to score. The Yankees only scored one run combined on Friday and Saturday’s losses. Sunday, the bats showed up for six runs, but Chasen Shreve let the team down by giving up a game-winning home run on his only pitch of the ball game.
Three in a row won’t send the team into a panic, but it’s causing some consternation among the team’s passionate fan base. The fact that the Red Sox have pulled even with their arch-rivals atop the AL East standings only adds to the stress. The division race is projected to be nip and tuck all season long. Losing a star for any period could cost the Yankees when the playoffs arrive.
Speaking of the Red Sox, they’re due to arrive in the Bronx this weekend for an important three-game series. Three games in June won’t make or break the season for either team, but the intensity of the rivalry means every result will be magnified. Losing Sanchez for the series will certainly hinder the Yankees’ chances of dealing a harsh blow to the Red Sox.
The silver lining to the Sanchez injury cloud for New York is that the team does have a capable replacement. Austin Romine is hitting .309 this season and is a better defensive catcher than Sanchez. Boone won’t be forced to play a weak replacement for Sanchez by any stretch of the imagination.
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The important thing, of course, is for Sanchez to make sure he takes enough time off to get healthy for the rest of the season. That doesn’t mean his absence won’t cost the Yankees some ground in the immediate future though. His injury could certainly have come at a better time for his team.