The New York Yankees dealt with a plague of injuries in 2019. GM Brian Cashman is optimistic about the team’s health going into 2020.
Last season the New York Yankees suffered one injury after another at the worst possible times. This season was following the same course with studs such as Aaron Judge and James Paxton dealing with injuries from the get-go. But after the season’s postponement due to the global pandemic and the battle between the MLB and MLBPA, the Yankees have been fortunate enough to rest and recover during the shutdown.
General manager Brian Cashman told Lindsay Adler of The Athletic that he maintains a sense of growing optimism that Judge, Paxton, Giancarlo Stanton, and Aaron Hicks can be ready for Opening Day in some capacity. Cashman expressed confidence in the trio of Judge, Paxton, and Hicks being game-ready come Opening Day, but Stanton may be limited to the DH role upon his return.
Yankees injury updates from Cashman:
-Paxton: “Appears game-ready.”
-Hicks: “I’m sure he thinks he’ll be game-ready by Opening Day, and I think that’s possible.”
-Stanton: “I think if you’re shooting for the DH role, he could be game-ready."
— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) June 30, 2020
Still, it’s a long way from what the Yanks were expected to deal with if the season had started when it was supposed to back in April. Judge and Paxton would still be nursing their injuries that had been sustained, while Hicks would still be a few months left of rehab away from returning from Tommy John surgery.
Stanton has been plagued by injuries since his arrival in New York and his recent bout with a calf strain will be monitored closely to see if he can return to the field. For now, per Cashman, it seems like Stanton will slot into the DH position until he regains 100% mobility.
The Yankees made it all the way to the ALCS last season with a record-breaking amount of injuries, so this season’s outlook remains optimistic despite all the injuries in the early going. Now that the team has healed from most of its early setbacks, the sky is the limit for the Yankees.
