Just when the New York Yankees finally thought they were getting healthy, the injury bug has struck again. Mark Teixeira was placed on the 15 day disabled list due to recurring issues in his right wrist and Kevin Youkilis will be undergoing back surgery taking him out of the lineup for 10-12 weeks.
The Yankees, currently 3rd in the AL East, 3 games out, and 1/2 game out of the second wild card spot, had hoped to that the return of Teixeira, and Youkilis, along with Derek Jeter, Curtis Granderson and A-Rod who are also on the mend, would give them the boost their sagging offence needs. Good early season returns from scrap heap reclamation project players like Vernon Wells, and Lyle Overbay have fallen off the map in recent weeks, leading to the Yankees giving up the division lead.
Teixeira has been plagued by a wrist tendon sheath injury since hurting himself in the World Baseball Classic. He had been on the DL until returning to the Yankee lineup just a few short weeks ago. In 15 games Teixeira has hit just .151 with a .609 OPS. Clearly he is not playing like the slugger that many have come to expect.
Youkilis who has a herniated disc, has never gotten the opportunity to settle in as a Yankee. He’s been limited to just 28 games, and now his season is in jeopardy. Over those 28 games he has hit just .219 with 2 home runs and a .648 OPS. Youkilis signed a one year deal with the Yankees last off-season.
The question now becomes can the Yankees survive these injuries, and stay in the race in a tough AL East until they are able to get some of the bats back in the lineup, or will the club fade in light of just too many injuries to overcome?
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