On the disabled list with a concussion, New York Yankees centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is not quite ready to return to baseball activities.
Jacoby Ellsbury has been on the 7-day concussion disabled list thanks to a collision with the centerfield wall on May 24 and his return to the New York Yankees is not yet certain.
The injury, which took place while making a sensational catch on the first pitch of the game on Wednesday against the Kansas City Royals, is officially a concussion and neck sprain. All in all, Ellsbury is not ready to resume baseball activities because he is still suffering from headaches.
“As of yesterday, he still had a small headache,” Joe Girardi said before Monday’s Memorial Day contest with the Baltimore Orioles. “So that tells us he’s not ready to start baseball activities yet.”
Ellsbury is currently tied for sixth among qualified center fielders in the majors with a wRC+ of 113, which is also his personal best since 2011 — when he slashed 321/.376/.552 and finished second in the American League MVP voting. Aaron Hicks has been filling in during Ellsbury’s absence and is 3-for-11 (.273) since taking over.
The Yankees hope is that when their centerfielder’s headaches and neck stiffness are both gone, he won’t need much time to get back into the swing of things.
“You want to get rid of the stiffness,” Girardi said. “That’s gotten better each day, though. So you feel by the time that he is able to do his baseball activities, hopefully, most of it’s gone.”
