Injury challenges bother Yankees more than on-field rivals

Monday September 19, 2022

MILWAUKEE — Injuries to their star players continue to pose challenges to the Yankees. This even bothers them more than the on-field battle with rivals.

A press conference before the game with manager Aaron Boone turns into a long, sad medical report. From fans to analysts, everyone is curious to know about their top stars nourishing injuries,

And if things keep going like this, it may be true that Aaron Judge wins a game by himself. Judge is the only major star who remains without any injury.

But don’t count out Judge. Lately, the Yankees’ all-world, do-it-all superstar has been playing with mostly backups, journeymen, rookies, and general disappointments, and the team is still winning about half of its games.

Judge tries his best. The man who has scored 59 homers and is on track to break Roger Maris’ AL record for home runs is, of course, only one superhuman.

He wasn’t quite good enough on Saturday night, even though he had a double, walked, and made some good plays in center field and then right field. The Brewers won their second game in a row, 4-1. Brandon Woodruff pitched well for eight innings, and Willy Adames hit a three-run home run in front of 41,210 fans.

However, the Yankees exhibited a different show on Sunday thrashing Milwaukee 12-8.

Once, the Yankees led the major leagues in wins, runs, and a lot of other good things. But as of late, they only lead to one thing, pain.

Marwin Gonzalez had to leave the game Friday night because he felt dizzy. But he had to go back on Saturday as the third-string first baseman. Gonzalez is the guy since DJ LeMahieu and Anthony Rizzo are still out. Unfortunately, in his first at-bat on Saturday, an accidental throw hit the top of his helmet. Milwaukee catcher Victor Caratini was sending the ball back to the pitcher. However, it struck Gonzalez instead and blacked out him for a minute. It gave him a welt on his face and probably made him even dizzier than he was before.

Before the game, pitcher Frankie Montas put on his street clothes and went to the MRI machine to get a look at his right shoulder. A similar right-shoulder injury forced him out for 17 days prior to his New York arrival in exchange for reliever Lou Trivino and four prospects. And thank God that Trivino, who was the least talked about of the five big league players the team got at the trade deadline, is now the only one who is fully fit to play.

The Yankees’ trades at the deadline, which were widely praised (including here), now look like nothing but a disaster. Montas was the main attraction, and he came to the MRI room with a 6.35 ERA. His shoulder doesn’t hurt as much as it did when he fell in Oakland. But, if he is out for another 17 days, it will be the end of the regular season and he might not be able to play in the playoffs.

Scott Effross, who got off to a good start with that save at Fenway Park but is now working his way back from a shoulder issue. Andrew Benintendi, Harrison Bader, and Aaron Hicks, who only has a bruised ego, are on the injured list. Judge has to play with a collection of unproven players and kids after Benintendi and Bader are out.

Benintendi broke his wrist when he was hit by a pitch. He might be able to play again if the Yankees go far in the playoffs, which is unlikely if he doesn’t start to feel better soon. Bader is the elite center fielder out of action because of plantar fasciitis. The hope is that he could be back as soon as Tuesday, but that wouldn’t stop the back-and-forth about losing Jordan Montgomery. Montgomery upset the Yankees when he said that his recent success was due to St. Louis allowing him to throw his four-seam fastball.

The Yankees, however, disagreed. Matt Blake, their pitching head defended the team while manager Boone said that his improvement might also be because he pitches in the easier NL Central.

But the NL Central’s Brewers aren’t so easy for the Yankees to beat right now.

Anyway, when Bader comes back, Judge might be able to move back to right field, which would make it easier for the guy who has been carrying the Yankees for weeks. If you could call right field a rest, the guy needs one desperately.

Anthony Rizzo had 30 home runs before he got hurt. The player had a home run on Sunday on his return. He could help protect Judge if he needs it. Stanton is the current front-runner to bat after Judge. But based on his recent at-bats, either his Achilles isn’t fully healed or he wasn’t ready to come back. Stanton struck out four times on Saturday, and with a .212 average, the MVP of the All-Star Game is falling quickly toward .200.

Luis Severino is another one of these guys who, at his best, could be a real boost. He might be back in the lineup Wednesday, which is even more important now that Montas’s status is suddenly in danger. It seems like when one guy is about to come back, another one goes down. Unfortunately, it’s a cycle that could end up hurting the Yankees in the long run.

Who is to blame for the Yankees’ injury woos?