Yankees lose Aroldis Chapman to elbow injury at worst time

The New York Yankees are losing their All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman to the 10-day IL.

New York Yankees All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman has been placed on the 10-day IL due to elbow inflammation.

Chapman’s last outing for the Yankees came on Thursday night vs. the AL East rival Baltimore Orioles. While he recorded his 23rd save of the season in one inning’s worth of work, it may be a while before he records No. 300 of his career. We do not know how long Chapman has been dealing with this elbow issue. Chad Green is expected to serve as the closer in his absence.

This could not becoming at a worse time for the Yankees, but they will have to adjust accordingly.

New York Yankees lose their All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman to the 10-day IL

Though the Yankees have played excellent ball of late, winners of eight of their last 10 games, they are still 5.5 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East standings. While New York has a decent shot of catching the arch rival Boston Red Sox, who are in a complete tail spin recently, they are also being pushed by the Toronto Blue Jays, who are only one game back of them now.

With only three available postseason spots up for grabs, the Yankees have to wonder what will happen to them if their bullpen is no longer a strength. Chapman has had his ups and downs this year, but the team is better with him on the roster. If this elbow injury is worse than simple arm fatigue, the Yankees could be in a world of trouble as we hit the home stretch of the MLB season.

If Chapman misses significant time the rest of the way, this hurts the Yankees’ postseason odds.