Andrew Benintendi’s Hamate fracture adds to Yankees’ injury woos

Sunday September 4, 2022

Andrew Benintendi needs surgery to fix his broken hamate bone. This has forced the Yankees to place the outfielder on the 10-day injury list.

Manager Aaron Boone says informed the media about Benintendi’s injury. The former Red Sox and Royals player got injured when the Yankees were shut out 9-0 by the Rays on Friday at Tropicana Field. The initial x-ray didn’t reveal the fracture but CT scans later reported a broken hook on the right-hand hamate. He had a similar injury in that wrist area while he was playing with the Royals.

Benintendi’s timetable for getting better is unknown, but given this time of year, it may take longer. There are a little more than four weeks left in the regular season, so the outfielder doesn’t have much time to heal and get back in shape.

The Yankees are five games ahead of the Rays and 10 1/2 ahead of the Central-leading Guardians despite their recent slump. That would give Andrew Benintendi more time to come back, especially if the Yankees win one or two playoff rounds. In a message through Hoch Benintend expressed optimism that he would consult experts and try for a comeback this season.

Benintendi was acquired from the Royals before the deadline. He has hit .302/.371/.397 this season. His 122 wRC+ is 22% higher than the league average this year. Benintendi left Friday’s game in obvious pain after hurting himself.

The Yankees have used Aaron Judge, Oswaldo Cabrera, and Aaron Hicks in Benintendi’s absence, with Estevan Florial, Marwin Gonzalez, and Tim Locastro as backup options. Harrison Bader and Matt Carpenter are other options to fall back, but neither is close to the outfielder. Bader was acquired from the Cardinals at the trade deadline. Carpenter fractured his foot a few weeks ago and hopes to return.

Yankees led AL East by 15 1/2 games in July. Poor play in recent weeks cut their lead to four games, but they beat the Rays to extend it to five. That means the last few weeks of the season are more important than they seemed.

Can Andrew Benintendi return this season? Who will take his place in the Yankees’ lineup?