With the panic setting in over injuries at this early stage in the season, have no fear! This New York Yankees season will be different.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word “overreact” as “to react to something too strongly.” That term is actually a verb to define the entirety of the New York Yankees fanbase, especially when it comes to injuries.
The plague of injuries that left the Bombers short-staffed in 2019 has reared its ugly head once again, this time, just a little over a week into spring training. With the full squad taking reps at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, FL under the blazing sun, there already are reports of early injuries.
After James Paxton underwent surgery for a lingering back issue, Aaron Judge missed out on full activities due to a sore right shoulder. Next came Luis Severino, who had his throwing program shut down due to forearm soreness from an injury that stems back to last October. If we know the Yankees at all recently, the hits will just keep coming… and not the good kind.
It’s so easy to get carried away with all the PTSD lingering from last season when everyone and their mother ended up with a stint on the injured list at least once. Despite that, the injured Bombers ended up two wins shy of the World Series.
The Yankees fell into a spell of terrible luck when it came to injuries during the 2019 season. Hoping to combat that, the entire strength and conditioning team was dropped in favor of some newcomers. Well, it hasn’t helped.
But, alas, the fear cannot continue. Yes, these are a few injuries that could be significant if they happened right in the thick of the season. It’s also important to note that these are just a few injuries.
Injuries occur when players are put through the wringer for 162-plus games, not typically at the beginning of the year. But the panic cannot set in just yet. Nobody can let this become the theme of the season before the season has even started.
While Luis Severino has had similar pain since October, he just restarted his throwing program. Aaron Judge just resumed full on-field activities. Shaking off the dust is a normal part of Spring Training and at that point, injury risk is a possibility.
The freakouts have to cease. The talks of a potential “curse” are becoming ridiculous at this point. “The sky is falling” section of the fan base needs to chill out. The fact of the matter is, this isn’t going to be the norm.
Maybe we can’t predict the future, but with the changes that have been made this offseason, plus peeks into offseason workout routines for the giants of the Bronx, things are seemingly in better shape (no pun intended).
Things are so much simpler to understand when there is someone or something to blame for bad luck. That’s why the training staff was the scapegoat last year. Now, this year, it’s just a continued curse. The real reason this is happening? Nobody knows.
The one thing we do know is that this team is built differently. They’ve experienced the lows of last season at a far greater expense than the fan base did. The time to freak out about the season will come, but let’s wait until the season actually begins to do that, shall we?
Keep a calm head and keep your cool, everybody. The New York Yankees have yet to begin the season. A few road bumps won’t keep the Bombers from a successful season and despite a few early injuries, the boys of the Bronx aren’t worried. So why should everyone else?
