Out of order
Sanchez lost for month with strained muscle
There was almost no way for Gary Sanchez to match the mammoth expectations placed on him following his stunning success in the latter part of 2016.
But it would have been difficult to predict just how badly his first full year in the majors has gone.
First, the catcher got off to a 3for-20 start at the plate, and then on Monday, the Yankees learned he will be out a month with a muscle injury.
Sanchez underwent an MRI exam that showed a Grade 1 strain of the right brachialis muscle — which is behind the biceps. He suffered the injury swinging at a pitch Saturday in Baltimore and was examined Monday by team physician Chris Ahmad.
“It’s a big bat that we’ll miss,” manager Joe Girardi said after the Yankees beat the Rays 8-1 in their home opener in The Bronx. “It gives the other two guys a chance to step up.”
That would be Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka, who was called up from Triple-A Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre to serve as Romine’s backup.
And on top of that, Greg Bird missed Monday’s win with both a sore right ankle and a stomach bug.
Bird, though, should be back any day. Sanchez won’t be so lucky.
He’s already on the 10-day disabled list and before the game said there was some improvement in his arm.
But he won’t do any baseball activities for at least another week.
Despite the setback, Sanchez said he still believes he can have a successful year.
“My expectations for myself stay the same,” Sanchez said through an interpreter. “The injury happened and you’ve got to go through that, but my expectations for the kind of season I want is still the same.”
Saying he was “mentally prepared for anything,” Sanchez added he wasn’t surprised by the diagnosis.
Sanchez’s injury adds to the Yankees’ injury woes. They’re already without Didi Gregorius, likely until May, because of the shoulder injury he suffered while playing second base for the Netherlands in the WBC.
Prior to the game, Sanchez said his arm felt “more flexible,’’ but it’s clear the Yankees won’t rush the catcher back.
As for Bird, Girardi said the flu was what kept him out Monday more than the ankle.
“With the way that Bird felt [Sunday] and how sick he was, I just thought it would probably be in his best interest probably to have another day,’’ Girardi said. “He had not eaten all day [Sunday]. You worry about dehydration and physically how strong he is.”
In the absence of Sanchez and Bird, Jacoby Ellsbury was back in his familiar No. 2 spot in the lineup, with Romine behind the plate and Chris Carter at first base against Tampa Bay right-hander Alex Cobb.
And with Monday’s win, the Yankees are 2-0 without Sanchez.
“Right now, we’re winning games,” said Romine, who went 0for-4, but guided Michael Pineda through his best start in over a year. “That’s all that really matters, whoever’s back there.”