An already tough week for the New York Yankees only got tougher last night. It was just the bottom of the first inning when Dustin Fowler injured himself running after a foul ball.
Fowler, who was widely regarded as one of the team’s top ten prospects, was carted off and was later diagnosed with a ruptured patellar tendon. The injury requires surgery and will put him on the shelf for at least six months—therefore ending his 2017 season.
Bad News Bombers: Prospect Dustin Fowler Injured in First MLB Game
Fowler’s Year Prior to the Injury
The young lefty made his Triple-A debut earlier this season, and practically forced the team to promote him to the big leagues.
In 70 games, Fowler hit 13 home runs, tallied 43 RBI, and batted .293. His talent at the plate, coupled with his experience playing all three outfield positions, was going to make him a valuable asset for the Yanks during the stretch run.
Many were surprised by how early Fowler was called up, but injuries to Aaron Hicks, Matt Holliday, and Tyler Austin left the big league club with holes to fill.
Fellow “Baby Bomber” Miguel Andujar made his MLB debut on Wednesday night, due to the same reason. Andujar though was the designated hitter and went 3-for-4 with four RBI; Fowler wasn’t even able to step into the batter’s box once.
The Yankees All-Around Awful June
The shocking injury to Fowler was not the only time the Yanks were bitten by the injury bug this month. Rather, his going down is just the latest development in an increasingly long list of Bombers to hit the disabled list this week alone. Not to mention that the team is just 12-15 this month and in the midst of a 4-12 skid.
On Thursday, the team placed the aforementioned Austin on the 10-day DL and transferred Greg Bird to the 60-day DL—although it seems that they’ve been missing Bird for much longer than that.
On Wednesday, the team placed the veteran slugger Holliday on the 10-day DL for a viral infection. This move was retroactive to June 25, when Holliday began to miss games due to what was initially called an allergic reaction.
The previous week, Holliday was forced to miss a game in Oakland due to an allergic reaction to pregame food; though it’s unclear if the reactions had any correlation, or if the viral infection played a role in the reactions.
Starlin Castro, who was in the midst of an All-Star caliber season, was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Tuesday. Castro strained his right hamstring while attempting to beat out a ground ball the night prior.
Hicks, another surprising star of the Yankees first half, was placed on the 10-day DL on Monday of this week. Hicks previously left a game due to an oblique injury, one which will likely leave him inactive for over three weeks.
The team also lost trusty reliever Adam Warren and veteran starting pitcher CC Sabathia to injury during their west coast road trip, which took place less than two weeks ago.
During the trip there were also murmurs that rising star Luis Severino tweaked his ankle before his start in Oakland, but luckily for the Yankees he did not have to miss any games.
Perhaps the fluky injury sustained by center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, when crashing into the outfield wall, was foreshadowing of what was to come. What is certain, is that the Yankees are very beat up right now and that they need the All-Star break to come as soon as possible.
