Suddenly Yanks need Jacoby as OF injuries keep piling up
TORONTO — Admit it, you never thought Jacoby Ellsbury could be so missed, so early, this season. The Yankees continue to fly through outfielders like the fictional band Spinal Tap mythically used to go through drummers, and they incredibly added yet another name to their growing injury list in Saturday’s initial loss of 2018 under new manager Aaron Boone, falling painfully and bizarrely by a 5-3 final margin against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
A couple of hours before Dellin Betances’ latest mound implosion enabled Toronto’s Kevin Pillar to become the first player in 90 years to steal second base, third base and home in one inning, Yanks rookie Billy McKinney became the fourth outfielder to land on the DL just three games into the new season by messing up his left shoulder in a first-inning collision with the field-level scoreboard in left-center.
“It’s certainly a challenge to be playing with the injuries that we’ve seen in the short-term,” GM Brian Cashman said after the game. “None of them seem to be long-term, but it obviously leaves us with a lot more discussions about how to deploy on a daily basis. We’ll deal with it and find a way to get through it.”
To think that the questions beforehand shifted from Boone and a few teammates marveling over physical specimen Aaron Judge being entrusted to start his first career game in center field – between Giancarlo Stanton and McKinney, who was replaced almost immediately by Brett Gardner — into even more health concerns for a hobbled outfield that already had opened the year with Ellsbury and Clint Frazier on the shelf, with Aaron Hicks joining them after straining a muscle in his side on Opening Day.
Infielders Tyler Wade, Tyler Austin and Brandon Drury each at least have limited outfield experience, although with no other available outfielders presently on the 40-man roster, Cashman had little choice but to summon third-base prospect Miguel Andujar from Triple-A as an extra lineup option.
“I think he’s someone that Joe…Wow,” Cashman said, stopping himself from an old habit when he realized he was referring to former manager Joe Girardi. “I think he’s someone that AARON can use as a choice…as we tread water with Ellsbury’s eventual potential return.” Boone added that Wade “is definitely now in the mix” for outfield work in the interim, while Cashman called him the “most realistic” option behind some configuration of Gardner, Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, at least until Ellsbury is ready to return from an oblique strain.
The $153 million reserve is eligible for activation on Thursday, and that suddenly feels like it’s not soon enough, doesn’t it?
Either way, you had to feel bad for McKinney, who had made his big-league debut and even notched his first hit on Friday night. Now he’s “probably out at least a few weeks,” Boone estimated, after failing to snare Josh Donaldson’s double and hitting his head while leaping up against the scoreboard in left-center in the first inning.
“It’s not easy, it’s pretty frustrating. I felt like I kind of let the guys down a little bit, especially Brett who was supposed to be off,” said McKinney, who remained in the game for one more batter and fielded Justin Smoak’s RBI single. “I was trying to go off adrenaline, trying to power through it a little. But once I threw that ball to second, it didn’t feel good.”
Trainer Steve Donohue also checked McKinney for concussion symptoms, and it was surprising he wasn’t pulled immediately, especially after Frazier has encountered multiple setbacks after experiencing recurring symptoms following a similar wall collision during spring training. “When I went down on my knee I was kind of nervous about a concussion, seeing if I felt all right,” McKinney said. “But I feel OK, thankfully. It’s just the shoulder.” The 34-year-old Gardner had been scheduled for a day off to avoid playing four straight games on Rogers Centre’s artificial surface. But interestingly, he replaced McK- inney in left and remained there for the rest of the game, with Judge staying in center. Boone’s reasoning afterward was that he preferred not to move Stanton from right to left midgame, a position he struggled adapting to during spring training.
“I just felt better about that alignment on the fly for the first time,” Boone said. “Now going forward we’ll revisit how we’ll align, especially when we get to Yankee Stadium (for Monday’s home opener).”
Added Cashman: “All are capable, some more than others, and their comfort levels will be discussed. But I think the one great thing is everybody’s willing to do whatever it takes, whatever is in the best interest of the club.”
Indeed, the 280-pound Judge certainly embraced returning to a position he last played regularly at Fresno State. He only had one defensive chance all day, but Judge matched the tallest player ever to man center field in a big-league game, 6-foot-7 Walt Bond of the Houston Colt .45s from 1964.
“I mapped out a lot of things this week, but those plans got shaken a little,” Boone admitted. “Obviously we’re a little thin right now in our outfield situation, so the minute I posed it to Aaron he was like ‘whatever we need to do.’ He’s all-in.” udge certainly has experienced his share of collisions over the years, and this move doubled his potential for having another — and thereby potentially injuring a teammate or himself. “You collide, you get up and you go to the next play,” Judge shrugged.
If only it were that simple these days for the Yankees.
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