The Yankees’ injury issues are front and center again after Aaron Judge left Thursday night’s win over the Rangers with a hip issue.
Judge told reporters he is not concerned. But he also said he will probably take a few days off. And given how these things go, it is not hard to envision a few days becoming a trip to the injured list. Which would make an already offensively-challenged lineup even weaker.
Anyway, Judge’s situation has many asking: Wha’ happened? Why all the injuries?
Here is a crazy idea … maybe because the Yankees keep acquiring and employing injury-prone players?
PLUS: Why Texas Rangers have a plaque for Yankees’ Aaron Judge
It is what it is with Judge. There have always been durability concerns with him and there always will be. They just had to be thrown out the window once he became the American League home run king in his contract year. And it is what it is with Giancarlo Stanton. The dude is made of glass. You just hope you can squeeze 130 or so games out of him and he holds up in October.
But after them?
Luis Severino is always hurt.
It is probably just a matter of time with D.J. LeMahieu and Anthony Rizzo.
They traded for Josh Donaldson after several years where he missed significant time.
They signed Carlos Rodon after he managed to stay healthy for one year.
They traded for Harrison Bader and Frankie Montas when they were actively injured.
Yes, there is undoubtedly bad luck involved when a rash of injuries hit. And yes, there are likely things the Yankees can do different from a conditioning/load management/sports science standpoint for greater injury prevention. But it is not like Theodoric of York is the team doctor.
It is not hard to pinpoint what is happening here. Many folks in the local media may not want to do so, because that would involve acknowledging general manager Brian Cashman has not done his job terribly well and owner Hal Steinbrenner’s strategic cheapness continues. But when you build a team around older and/or injury-prone players, this is what happens. And when you do not have the means or will to make aggressive moves to adjust for these rough patches, you end up with an outfield of Franchy Cordero, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Aaron Hicks.
James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.
