Yankees
Bruno Rouby, ESNY Graphic, Getty Images

The New York Yankees will have to make another move before Aug. 31st to solidify their chance of keeping pace with the rest of the American League.

The New York Yankees may be in a laid-back part of their schedule, but if there is one thing that simply can’t be predicted, it’s injuries. And boy do the Bombers have them.

Without further ado, here is your current list of injured Yankees:

  1. Aaron Judge
  2. Gary Sanchez
  3. CC Sabathia (returns Friday)
  4. Clint Frazier
  5. Didi Gregorius
  6. Aroldis Chapman
  7. David Robertson (who’s been dealing with shoulder tenderness)
  8. Oh yeah … and Jacoby Ellsbury

The Yankees will face their toughest test of the year up to this point. When the two, three and five hitters in the lineup are all on the disabled list, one must expect struggles to occur. While in Miami playing against the bottom-feeding Marlins, the Yanks split a two-game series prior to their three-game set in Baltimore starting Friday.

With CC Sabathia lined up to return Friday against the Orioles, the rest of the walking wounded is still weeks away from a return, while Chapman was recently placed on the DL for left knee tendinitis, retroactive to Wednesday.

The Yankees ultimate test will be measured in the next month and a half. Their next move, however, may be “the end all, be all” when they take a look back at this season. Brian Cashman is once again on the clock.

The chances of winning the division are still slim at this point. While the Yanks did gain two games on the Red Sox this week, they have two other teams close in the rearview mirror: the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics.

As it stands, the Yankees own a three and a half game lead in the top spot of the Wild Card standings. But, with the pace the A’s and Stros are playing at along with the closely-trailing Mariners, the Yankees have no chance to take a breath. Contrastly, every night has almost turned into a “must-win.”

If nothing else, Cashman should be kicking tires on the players you are about to see. Remember, we are now in the waiver-deadline period, meaning teams have up until Aug. 31 to make a deal with a team. Here’s a refresher on waiver-trade deadline details:

  • When a player is on waivers, any team can submit a claim. If more than one team claims that player, the teams in the respective league have first priority.
  • The teams with first priority are the worst in the league, record-wise on that date the player was claimed. So if an N.L. player is claimed, the worst National League team that day will have first shot, followed by the worst team record in the American League.
  • If a player is claimed, the original team has three options: trade him, pull him back off waivers, or just simply let him walk.
  • Once a player goes through two days with no claims he is considered “passed through waivers” thus meaning any team in the league can make a deal for him.

Furthermore, if a player is dealt after the Aug. 31 deadline, they are not able to be eligible for the postseason.

So Yankees brass and fans alike, please don’t panic because like Tony Soprano once said, “You got options. Don’t let anyone ever make you feel like you don’t have options,” and here they are:


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I am currently enrolled at Montclair State University as a senior studying Sports Media and Journalism. I spend most of my days when I'm not at school; writing, podcasting, and preparing for my radio show. Thus meaning my life is sports. I spend almost all my time in and around sports because it is my life. I am an eternal, die-hard Yankees fan, along with Jets, Knicks and Rangers. I am 23 years of age and live in Central New Jersey (if people still consider a Central NJ).