The New York Yankees were without Brett Gardner on Sunday and it was revealed that it was due to a potential injury.
No Brett Gardner in the lineup? What kind of lineup is that for the New York Yankees?
As it turns out, the Yankees’ perennial left fielder was absent from the lineup during the final game of a four-game set against the Rays. The reasoning was not given until after the game, as reported by Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network.
Brett Gardner has been experiencing some soreness in his right knee. He had an MRI this morning… it revealed some inflammation in a few spots but nothing serious. Gardner added he was relieved it wasn’t anything more. Hopes to be back in there tom or Tuesday #yankees
— Meredith Marakovits (@M_Marakovits) June 17, 2018
Uh oh. While it doesn’t seem to be anything serious, it’s still a cause for concern from a left fielder who will be knocking on the door to 35 this August. His appeal to the team is definitely his speed, which will likely be affected by a lingering knee injury.
So it doesn’t sound too concerning to Gardner which means that Yankees fans can breathe a sigh of relief in terms of their left fielder.
Gardner hasn’t had a stellar season overall but he has been heating up as of late, coming up with numerous clutch hits in the months of May and June after a cool April.
May was by far Gardner’s best month offensively. He kicked it up a notch, posting a .313/.404/.513 line while slugging three home runs and stealing three bases in the process. For his entire season, he is batting .258 with five home runs, the first of which came at Opening Day in the Bronx.
Maybe one day is all the reliable lefty needs before getting back out on the field. However, the Yankees don’t want to rush Gardner back like they did from a wrist injury back in 2015, the year he made the All-Star team with an inspired first-half performance.
Even if Gardner does have to miss sometime, the Yankees should have it figured out in the outfield. They have Giancarlo Stanton who has improved his play in left and a plethora of reinforcements are available in the minors.
But the main goal would to get Gardner back as soon as possible, if healthy. So wishing the best luck to Brett Gardner and sending prayers for that knee to get back to 100 percent.
