INJURY BUG BITES YANKS
Paxton out 3-4 months after back surgery, giving ’20 a ’19 feel
TAMPA — Less than an hour after Hal Steinbrenner repeatedly said his biggest hope was to get through spring training healthy, the Yankees took their first injury hit of 2020 Wednesday — and it is a big one. The team announced that left-handed starter James Paxton is now out “three to four months,” after having surgery to remove a cyst in his spine.
Seven days before Yankees pitchers and catchers are to report to the spring training complex in Tampa, their best pitcher of last season is now out indefinitely.
Paxton would have come into camp expecting to be the Yankees’ No.2 starter behind newly-signed free agent Gerrit Cole, giving the Bombers and right-handed and lefty, one-two punch atop their rotation.
“He pitched so well in the second half last season,” one scout who watched the Yankees season. “He got comfortable, he found a weapon in that knuckle curve and he was, by far, their best pitcher down the stretch.”
After a slow start, the laidback Canadaian dealt with a vague knee issue before coming back and settling into the role of the Yankees ace. Paxton was 15-6 with a 3.82 ERA in 29 games last season. After posting a 4.01 ERA in the first half of last season, Paxton posted a 3.63 ERA in the second half.
It is obviously a huge blow to the Yankees before they even get into the starting gate — especially considering they were already without starter Domingo German, who is serving a 63-game suspension under the MLB Joint Domestic Violence policy to start the season.
Steinbrenner, speaking during a break at the MLB Owners Meetings at the Waldorf Astoria in Orlando, said that revamping the team’s medical and training staff after a 2019 in which they had a record 30 players go on the injured list was a “high priority.” He added that getting through spring training healthy was his biggest concern.
But even though the Yankees are taking their first injury of the season, they learned the value of depth last season. They did stockpile some starting pitching depth. Behind new ace Cole, Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka, they have several options.
Just last month, GM Brian Cashman said that JA Happ would be the Yankees fifth starter coming into the season. That seemed odd at the time, since they had made no secret of the fact they were looking to trade Happ and move the $17 million due him this season. But it seems obvious now. The veteran lefty is coming off a frustrating season where he gave up a careerhigh 34 home runs, posting a 4.91 ERA, the second highest of his career.
Happ was realistically looking at battling for the fifth spot with lefty Jordan Montgomery, who missed most of last season because of 2018 Tommy John surgery. Already in Tampa and working out at the Yankees minor league complex, like Happ, Montgomery said he had a completely normal offseason and comes into camp expecting to compete for a spot like he did in his breakout 2017 season. That year, he made an impressive rookie debut, going 9-7 with a 3.88 ERA. He was on his way to improving on that in 2018, going 2-0 with a 3.62 ERA when he went down with the ulnar collateral ligament tear.
The Yankees also have young pitchers who will try and push their way into the equation in Deivi Garcia and Michael King. Garcia was the rising star of the Yankees farm system last season, moving
from single A to Triple-A. While projected by many scouts as a back-of-the rotation starter, the Yankees can turn to him in a pinch. Similarly King, made his major league debut last season pitching two scoreless innings in relief, could push his way into the picture with a strong spring training.
And the Yankees also have Chad Green in the bullpen and had success using him as an “opener,” last season. Green’s versatility to open and also pitch high-leverage middle innings, gives the Yankees more of a safety net in these situations.
More traditionally, the Yankees have long-man Luis Cessa available to move into the starting rotation as well as Jonathan Loaisiga.