GARY CAN’T DO
Biceps injury shelves catcher 4 weeks
GARY Sanchez entered his sophomore season with great expectations.
But an early season injury has put those expectations on hold.
An MRI taken Monday revealed that Sanchez has a Grade I strain of the right brachialis muscle and will miss approximately four weeks, Joe Girardi said following the Yankees’ 8-1 victory over the Rays in their home opener.
Sanchez had been placed on the 10-day disabled list Saturday with a strained right biceps. The brachialis is the muscle behind the biceps. Sanchez met with Yankees team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad Monday to undergo the testing.
“He’s a really good player,” Joe Girardi said. “It’s a big bat in your lineup that you’re going to miss, but it gives the other two guys an opportunity to step up. I thought Austin Romine has done a good job the last two days, and Kyle Higashioka’s going to get some opportunities too. But it’s a big bat — there’s no question about it.
Sanchez suffered the injury while taking a swing and fouling off a pitch in the fifth inning of Saturday’s game against the Orioles.
“There’s basically no baseball activities for 10 days, and then following that we’ll see how it goes and follow up with (medical staff),” Sanchez said through a translator. “I feel better than when it happened. It could be less (time that I’m out), but we’ll see.”
The 24-year-old catcher hit 20 homers during a remarkable 53-game rookie year. He went deep for the first time in 2017 Friday. Sanchez also possesses the ability to change the complexion of games with his cannon of a throwing arm.
Sanchez said expectations for himself haven’t changed as a result of the injury.
“It happened and you have to go through it, but my expectations for the season I want to have are the same,” Sanchez said.
Romine is known for his game-calling ability behind the plate, while Higashioka has recently shown the ability to hit for power in the minors.
Higashioka made his majorleague debut in the ninth Monday after spending parts of 10 seasons in the minors with the Yankees. He was a seven-round draft pick in 2008.
Sanchez had been hitting second in the lineup. Girardi decided to reunite Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury at the top of the order for Monday’s game, although the manager may look to change it up depending on matchups.
Greg Bird was also out of the lineup and didn’t play Monday after not feeling well Sunday.
“The way that Bird felt (Sunday) and how sick he was, I just thought it would probably be in his best interests to have another day,” Girardi said. “He had not eaten all day yesterday. You worry about dehydration and physically how strong he really is.”
The 24-year-old first baseman had been resting a sore right foot, which Girardi said has had no lingering effects after Bird sat out the team’s previous two games in Baltimore.
For now, Sanchez will have to be patient before he can make an impact again.
“I was mentally prepared for anything,” he said. “That’s the time they told me, so now we’ve just got to wait.”