With a horrid season under his belt, Gary Sanchez will be going under the knife this offseason for the New York Yankees.
Anyone who knows a thing about baseball knows that Gary Sanchez had an off year for the New York Yankees in 2018. Well, we might have finally received an explanation for his struggles.
It was announced on Wednesday that Gary Sanchez will be undergoing surgery on his left shoulder this offseason. The report originated from Lindsey Adler of The Athletic.
Brian Cashman says Gary Sánchez is having a surgery on his left shoulder this offseason. He says it has been bothering him since 2017.
— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) November 8, 2018
While shoulder surgery is definitely something to worry about, it sounds as though the recovery time for this type of procedure will be three months, meaning Sanchez should be ready for Opening Day against Boston.
Think about it this way. If this has been bothering him since 2017, Sanchez was never at full strength. And yet he still hit 18 home runs in 89 games and most of those were moonshots.
Imagine what he’s be like with two healthy shoulders? With the power he showed this season, it will be far greater once he fully recovers.
But the concern always pops up that Sanchez might not be ready come Opening Day. Then what will they do at catcher? Before fans start chanting to trade for J.T. Realmuto, take a look at what Brian Cashman has to say about that.
If Gary Sanchez and his shoulder are not ready for opening day after all, Cashman says he is comfortable with Romine
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) November 8, 2018
And they should trust Austin Romine, who gave them a stellar performance last year while Gary Sanchez spent some time on the shelf with various injuries.
The good news is it seems like the Yankees are just being extra cautious. The bad news is that this is the third Yankees player to have surgery this offseason (CC Sabathia and Didi Gregorius).
Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery for the catcher. At least we know the surgery won’t affect his cannon from behind the plate. That will be back in full force when he returns.
