Troy Tulowitzki, New York Yankees
(Lynne Sladky / AP)

It’s business as usual for New York Yankees shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, who hit the 10-day IL with a calf strain on Thursday.

Aaron Case

And so it begins, New York Yankees fans. Injury-prone shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is already on the shelf for at least the next 10 days after straining his left calf.

Tulowitzki left Wednesday’s contest against the Detroit Tigers after one plate appearance. He told the Concord Monitor’s David Ginsburg the injury occurred on his final swing of the at-bat:

“I felt it on the swing coming out of the box. I went out there tried to play defense. I knew I was in a little bit of trouble, so when I came in I thought it was best to get myself out of there. I know I’ll be down for a couple of days to see if the soreness goes away.”

The 34-year-old wasn’t exactly tearing the cover off the ball before getting hurt, going 2-for-11 with a double and a homer.

A career .290/.361/.495 hitter, Tulo missed the entire 2018 season recovering from surgery on both heels. His previous team, the Toronto Blue Jays, cut ties after receiving only one full season from him since 2015.

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When the Yankees nabbed him for a league-minimum salary, many fans and pundits predicted this day would come. The fact that it came so early in the season is icing on the cake for Tulo doubters.

The Bombers called up Thairo Estrada from triple-A to provide some infield depth. As a result, the 23-year-old prospect could make his MLB debut on Saturday night agains the Baltimore Orioles.

New York now has 11 players on the injured list, including key contributors like Luis Severino and Giancarlo Stanton.

Tulowitzki, who has made a medium-sized fortune while on various teams’ injured lists, found a way to put a positive spin on the Yanks’ injury situation:

“Sometimes it makes your team a little bit better,” he told Ginsburg. “Test that depth. Some guys get some chances and maybe didn’t think they were going to get chances. And they end up helping you a lot. It builds some character, too.”


Freelance editor and writer, and full-time Yankees fan. Originally from Monticello, NY, but now lives in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.