Ellsbury’s Process should give fans pause
TAMPA — “Trust the process.” Jacoby Ellsbury actually uttered these three words, now best known in the sports world as the rebuilding motto for the 76ers, on Monday at George M. Steinbrenner Field. To be fair, the oftinjured Yankee did not utilize this slogan to sell fans on his rehabilitation, but rather to explain his own faith in his road back to his first major-league game since 2017 American League Championship Series Game 4.
Nevertheless, it evokes a similar response, right? Ellsbury trusts his process? Don’t trust his outcome. While the Yankees could use even the 2017 vintage Ellsbury at the moment, with Aaron Hicks sidelined due to a lower back condition, let’s believe his return — which has no timetable at this juncture, other than he’ll obviously begin the season on the injured list — when we see it.
“I worked hard. Been working hard,” the Yankees’ $153 million man said in a brief session with reporters. “Going five, six days a week, six, seven hours a day putting in the time to be in position right here. Looking forward to helping on the field this season.”
The 35-year-old looks to be in fine physical condition, although that never has been his problem. Rather, Ellsbury carried a reputation for being accident-prone and slow to return from injuries before the Red Sox bid him farewell, with a private chuckle over how much the Yankees paid to pry him away, in December 2013.
And boy, has he lived up to that reputation. He gave the Yankees their money’s worth in his first season, 2014, tallying 3.6 wins above replacement as per Baseball-Reference’s metrics. Since then, Ellsbury’s professional existence has descended into a dizzying series of ailments mixed with on-field regression. Last year brought a new low with an entire missed season; Ellsbury said the injuries reported early (oblique and back) actually resulted from overcompensating to cope with the torn labrum on his left hip that was surgically repaired on Aug. 6.
“It was really just one thing,” he said, and the plantar fasciitis in his right foot that kept him out of Yankees camp until now, “I’ve been dealing with that for years. After I had the surgery, we wanted to lock it down, just make sure I was taken care of. But it hasn’t slowed down my hip recovery.”
He just recently began baseball activity and added, “I still have to build up. … We’re putting a plan together right now.”
Asked about missing so much time — for historical context, in Ellsbury’s most recent game, Yankees manager Joe Girardi inserted him as a pinch runner for Chase Headley — he said, “You want to be out there, for sure. That’s why I put in the time, put in the work. You want to be out there. You want to contribute. You want to be a part of the team. And the best way for me to do that right now is put the work in the gym, in the training room, in the batting cage, that sort of thing. If I do that, I’ll get back on the field quicker.”
This marks year six of Ellsbury’s seven-year deal, which is destined to go down as an all-time doozy in baseball financial history. It wouldn’t be shocking if he made it back to active play at some point this season, or even if he provided a pinch of on-field value. Yet you don’t count on it, not for a New York minute.
“The timetable is ‘As soon as possible,’ ” Ellsbury said. “It’s hard to give an exact day or week, but we’re doing everything. I’m in baseball activity, so that’s the good news. Stay optimistic and just get the work in.”
Stay pessimistic, Yankees fans. Let Ellsbury surprise you with a positive outcome. And if this goes the same way as the bulk of his time in pinstripes, then you’ll have no reason to feel disappointed.