The New York Yankees Have Top Record Despite Injuries
The New York Yankees injuries this season continues to be a big story. Despite having an injury list a mile long the Yankees have the best record in baseball. An amazing 14 of the 25 players on the Yankees opening day roster have spent time on the injured list. Three of those players Miguel Andujar, Mike Tauchman and Greg Bird are out for the season.
Aaron Hicks who did not start the season with the Yankees is also out for the year. Hicks is the Yankees starting center fielder. The ace of the Yankees staff Luis Severino and top set up man Dellin Betances both have yet to pitch this season. The Yankees even have had a player retire. Troy Tulowitzki was the starting shortstop in April.
The Hits Keep on Coming
On September 12th the Yankees added four players to the injury report. Starting catcher Gary Sanchez has a groin injury. Groin injuries can be tricky for a player who squats half the game. J.A. Happ has a biceps injury. Happ has been a mainstay in the Yankee rotation this whole year.
Designated Hitter Edwin Encarnacion has the dreaded oblique injury. Oblique injuries are impossible to predict. Relief pitcher Tommy Kahnle has a hand injury. All four players are vital to the Yankee success. The Yankees are fighting for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Currently, The Yankees have a two-game lead over both the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Help Is on the Way
It has already been announced that Severino will be making his first start of the season on September 17th. It is not known how many innings Severino can pitch or what his role will be going into the playoffs.
Another player on the last leg of his minor league rehab stint is Dellin Betances. He can rejoin the Yankees any day now. Betances can be a major player in the postseason.
Outfielder Giancarlo Stanton is set to return next week. Stanton has been limited to 31 at-bats this season after two stints on the injured list. With the Yankees recently losing Hicks and Tauchman, Stanton becomes an important player to get back.
Chasing the Best Record
The New York Yankees have a record of 97-51. They are ten games ahead of the second-place Tampa Bay Rays. With 14 games left winning the division is almost certain. The Yankees want home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. They have a soft schedule the rest of the way.
The Yankees are playing teams who don’t have a record over .500 12 times out of their 14 remaining games. The Astros are not playing one team who has a record over .500. Both teams do play the Texas Rangers who have a record of 74-74. The Dodgers only have nine games remaining with teams below .500. The best record is very much up for grabs.
Yankees Outlook
The Yankees have won the most championships in baseball last winning the in 2009. This young Yankee core should keep this team competitive beyond this year. As we have seen this past season injuries do play a part. The Yankees need to cash in on one of these postseason appearances.
The Yankees have overcome all of their injuries to have the best record in baseball. It remains to be seen if the Yankees can match the starting pitching teams like the Astros and Dodgers have. It’s possible the Yankees won’t have to play either team to win the world series.
The Yankees have one big advantage over most teams. This would be their bullpen depth. The Yankees want to grab the early lead and hand the game over to their bullpen plus mash your bullpen. This is the Yankee recipe for success. The real test will come in October.
