The New York Yankees have been wary of their Injured List since last year. It was terrible because injuries ravaged the club last season. Several key players, including Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton, and so on, were on the IL for a long time. That weakened their offense, and the NY side eventually missed the playoffs. Moreover, players like Stanton and Judge have been quite injury-prone. The Bronx Bombers don’t want the key players to be on the IL this year. After all, in the ongoing season, the 27-time World Series champions have been on a roll. They are enjoying the best record in baseball so far.
However, the ace pitcher Gerrit Cole has not yet made his debut this season. In Spring training, Cole, along with the veteran infielder DJ LeMahieu, went on the 60-day IL. The Yankees ace suffered from a nerve inflammation in his right elbow, and DJ fractured his right foot. Other than Cole and DJ, Judge suffered an abs injury in spring training. Even he was on the IL for a while. However, since the start of the 2024 regular season, Judge has looked healthy and has been playing well. On the other hand, there has been a new name on the Injured List since last week – Jon Berti.
Yankees Placed Infielder On IL Last Saturday
The Yankees infielder Jon Berti collapsed in pain a few days ago outside the batter’s box. Later, the NY side placed Berti on the Injured List owing to a left calf strain. In order to replace the infielder, Aaron Boone picked a name from the Triple-A. Infielder Kevin Smith was part of the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. But he got the call from the big league team to take Berti’s spot on the roster. On Friday, the Yankees won 8-0 against the San Diego Padres. In the ninth inning of that same game, Jon Berti fell to the ground outside the batter’s box. Then, he needed help to get off the field. Moreover, the infielder was hitting .273 with six RBIs and a home run.
On the other hand, Kevin Smith is in his second year with the Yankees in the big league. Smith has been part of four major league seasons. On April 14, the Yankees used him as a pinch-runner. Previously, the NY side had transferred DJ LeMahieu to the 60-day Injured List. Later, the veteran infielder had to go through several rehab assignments in the minor league to get ready to join the major league lineup again finally. Moreover, the Bronx Bombers, at first, transferred LeMahieu to High-A Hudson Valley. Later, they transferred him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Perhaps Berti will go through the same process.
Team Won’t Like More Injury Concerns This Year
After what happened last year, the Yankees would not like a long Injured List in 2024. Things are going so well for the NY side. If injuries don’t start ravaging the Bronx Bombers again, this team can go on to break the jinx of the World Series this year. It has been a really long time since the most iconic MLB team made it to the “Big Dance.”
This season so far saw the Judge-Soto duo dominate the league. Moreover, Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo look healthy so far. Even DJ LeMahieu has returned to the lineup. Moreover, Gerrit Cole, the ace, is set to return soon. Currently, they are 42-19. Hence, the Yankees would pray for no more injuries in 2024.
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