NEW YORK — Just over two weeks after joining the New York Yankees, utilityman Amed Rosario has been sidelined with an injury that further thins the team’s bench depth.
The 29-year-old was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a left sternoclavicular joint sprain suffered while crashing into the right-field wall in Friday’s 10th inning against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium. The move was retroactive to Saturday.
Rosario’s injury comes less than a week after fellow trade deadline pickup Austin Slater landed on the IL with a hamstring strain, leaving the Yankees without two right-handed bats they added to strengthen their lineup options.
Collision with wall leads to IL stint
Rosario was hurt attempting to track down a deep fly ball in extra innings Friday. The ball struck the electronic portion of the outfield wall, which does not have padding, before bouncing away. Trainers checked on Rosario between innings, but he stayed in the game and flied out in the bottom half of the frame.
“I was trying to make a play,” Rosario said through a team interpreter. “Started running real fast trying to catch that ball.”
By Saturday, he was unable to play, and on Sunday, he described pain in his upper chest. The Yankees decided to place him on the injured list and recalled left-handed hitting catcher J.C. Escarra from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Manager Aaron Boone said Rosario is feeling better and expressed optimism the absence will be short. “It seems like he’s even doing better today,” Boone said before Sunday’s series finale with Houston. “Hopefully, it’s just that [minimum stint].”
Depth moves undone by Yankees injuries
The Yankees acquired Rosario from the Washington Nationals in late July in exchange for right-hander Clayton Beeter and outfielder Browm Martinez. General manager Brian Cashman made the move to address a lack of bench flexibility, especially against left-handed pitching.
Rosario went 3-for-7 in his first four games in pinstripes before the injury. His absence limits Boone’s ability to make late-game substitutions, particularly when facing left-handed relievers.
Slater, the other trade deadline right-handed bat, was acquired from the Chicago White Sox for similar reasons. He strained his left hamstring last Monday against the Texas Rangers, leaving in the first inning after running out a ground ball. Boone said Slater is expected to miss four to six weeks.
Slater’s slow start before injury
Austin Slater went hitless in seven at-bats with four strikeouts in his first three games with the Yankees before getting hurt. Prior to the trade, the 32-year-old batted .236 with five home runs, 11 RBIs and a stolen base in 51 games for Chicago.
His injury came hours before Aaron Judge returned to the lineup from his own absence, forcing the Yankees to shuffle their bench options.
Limited flexibility for upcoming stretch
Without Rosario or Slater, the Yankees have no right-handed bat available off the bench in certain lineup configurations. For example, when José Caballero starts in the infield against a lefty and Paul Goldschmidt, Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton are all in the starting lineup, Boone has few pinch-hit options against late-inning southpaws.
“Escarra kinda gives us coverage in kind of a different kinda way,” Boone said. “Especially [Sunday] with having some righties over there — on the bench gives us some flexibility in the middle of the game to do some things.”
The Yankees are not scheduled to face a left-handed starter in their upcoming series against the Minnesota Twins and St. Louis Cardinals. However, with the team having lost six of its last eight games, the loss of both trade acquisitions leaves a gap in the roster that the Yankees will have to work around.
Key injuries at a crucial point
The injuries to Rosario and Slater are the latest setbacks in a season that has seen the Yankees struggle to keep their roster healthy. With the playoff race tightening, losing two players acquired specifically to balance the offense against left-handed pitching could have an immediate impact.
For now, Boone remains hopeful Rosario’s stint will be brief and that Slater can return before the final weeks of the regular season. Until then, the Yankees will need to navigate a critical part of their schedule with a diminished bench and fewer options in late-game situations.
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