5:48pm: Sanchez was diagnosed with a grade 1 strain, Boone tells reporters including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch (Twitter link). The skipper wasn’t able to give much of an estimate of the duration of the absence, saying only that “it’ll be some time” before Sanchez is back.
10:43am: The Yankees announced Wednesday that they’ve placed catcher Gary Sanchez on the 10-day injured list due to a strained left groin. Catcher Kyle Higashioka is up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in his place. New York also optioned Jonathan Holder to Scranton and recalled lefty Nestor Cortes Jr. in his place.
The team didn’t provide any sort of timeline on Sanchez within the announcement, though presumably manager Aaron Boone will address the injury prior to tonight’s game against the Twins. It’s the second IL placement of the season for Sanchez, who previously missed about two weeks due to a calf strain back in April. In 238 plate appearances this season, Sanchez is hitting .229/.299/.508 with 24 home runs.
Higashioka, 29, won’t match Sanchez’s production at the plate, although it should be noted that he’s enjoying a career-best .268/.343/.581 showing in 201 Triple-A plate appearances. He’s appeared in 42 Major League games but has compiled a woeful .143/.209/.267 batting line in that time.
Swapping out Holder for Cortes is a natural move on the heels of a video-game-esque slugfest that saw the Twins and Yankees combine for 26 runs in 10 innings last night. That game featured five lead changes, 35 total hits and an incredible 12 runs scored in the eighth inning or later. As one might expect, both teams depleted their bullpen, cycling through six relievers apiece. Cortes gives the Yankees a fresh arm that can handle multiple innings, and the Twins will surely have some roster machination of their own in the next few hours.
Couldn’t have happened at a better time. Yanks can now comfortably trade for a future backup catcher while not having to worry about trading or cutting Romine.
because catching is exactly what they need to worry about? Sanchez is their catcher, was the all star starter, and leads catchers in most categories. My hope is that they retain Romine, with Hagashioka as a suitable backup to the backup why are you suggesting they upgrade?
I never said they need a new starter. Gary is a beast. I said they need a new backup. Romine can’t throw anyone out. If Gary goes down in the playoffs, the Astros and Sox will steal all day long against Romine. They won’t retain him.
I kind of see the point. Romine is not a great backup. It shouldn’t cost a lot to acquire someone better than Romine. If Sanchez is injured during the playoffs it can make a big difference.
He’s not a beast he’s a fxxking Savage!
a savage doesn’t hit .229. just saying.
With a OBP of .299
Not exactly a savage for the walks either.
Dobsonel/ Got ya – apologies, it read differently to me.
Could be big. Anyone who’s had a similar type injury knows such could linger and linger. Hope not because when the team loses in October, I want them at full strength with no excuses. I still hate the guy for his role in that fight with Detroit years ago but man has he had a great season. Sad part is so have so many other hitters that the ball being used makes it impossible to determine assess what is real and what is the league’s attempt to keep people artificially interested in the game. Trout puts up numbers every year but the years from Alonso, Devers, DJL with the Yanks just to name three, are they artificially inflated? Not fear to these players but it’s also unfair to players of the past who’s stats will years from now look more human when compared to the comic book heroes of today.
*fair
Being the All-Star Starter is just a product of being on the Yankees and winning a popularity vote. He’s a bad defensive catcher. The only thing he’s VERY highly rated in is “pitch framing” which is, again, more a product of being on the yankees and getting favorable ump calls.
Fake news. Rated as a slightly above-average catcher by defensive metrics.. Strong throwing arm and has greatly improved blocking this year – ironically at the expense of pitch framing.
I hate the Yankees with a passion but this comment is one of the dumbest ive ever read. This isnt the NBA where certain players get favorable calls. You are just pure stupid.
@crewbrew lol. You’re very naive if you don’t think the red sox and yankees get favorable calls. It’s no coincidence they’re consistently rated highly in “pitch framing” stats, which is literally a measure of balls being called strikes, just in nicer sounding terms.
That’s actually true for the Red Sox and very untrue for the Yankees.
The Sox have a net positive zone bias of 8.93% on inaccurate calls, and the Yankees have a net negative zone bias of 1.33%.
In all, the Sox enjoy a ~10% differential over the Yanks.
You can confirm the above via Baseball Savant’s official zone.
Wouldn’t it be contradictory to call a player a bad defensive while regarding him as a stellar pitch-framer since it’s such a big component of being a catcher? Why would umpires favor Sanchez over any other catcher? None of it makes any sense.
Stop using facts. They seem too true
I have been trying to find that stat with no luck. Sorry to sound dumb but could you post a link if possible? Thanks!
Being fair, his bat has been far and away the most productive in the league. Yanks will win or lose in the regular season on their power bats.
Correct a mundo Phanto.. Sanchez is a sucky catcher.
*stqnd corrected given his recent slump.
Think you may over rate sanchez’s talent by a bit. Previous AS nod, check, hit previously. Check, last 2y have not been exactly on par with 2 before that and tendency for nagging hamstring injuries isn’t helping the cause any either.
Sanchez leads in errors, stolen bases and passed balls.
Those injuries are common with PED use.
Oh really a hamstring issue is a sure fire sign of PEDS? Yeah, I’m sure catching everyday does wonders for your hamstrings.
I thought it was groin pull?
Dont get mad at me, talk to web-md.com
Leads in errors, not stolen bases or passed balls.
I think you have him confused with Nelson Cruz.
Whoops… 5th in passed balls (he led in PB the past 2 years) and tied for lowest caught stealing in AL.
Nelson Cruz? Do you think he’s a catcher? That shows what you know about baseball.
Exactly!
Because Sanchez is a sucky catcher
All star because he’s a Yankee and the HR total. He sucks defensively and doesn’t even hit his weight.
There doesn’t appear to be a reason for this comment.
Which comment?
Maybe he’s talking about his own comment?
right, because that’s any contender’s biggest concern.
Would imagine they’d just solve this in the offseason. I agree it may be time to move on from Romine, but any backup you get now is probably going to be a FA at years end anyway
They can’t risk going into the playoffs with Romine as their starting catcher.
It looks to me.. Sanchez needs to be in better condition. I know he worked hard this off season. But he looks sluggish.. and very tired. Boone has given him time off and dh time. He has looked bad defensively and at the plate. I hope he gets rest and comes back strong
Why would speculate that Sanchez isn’t putting effort in the offseason? He’s young and hasn’t earned any real money yet. If he ends up being an average defensive catcher with an elite bat, I’m ok with that. Not every player is a Buster Posey or Joe Mauer.
Just since the all star break – which has only been like 2 weeks. He was on a tear going into the break.
Tom Murphy would be a good fit.
Frazier for Posey.
3 years ago San Francisco would laugh at you for that proposal, now they’d be begging the Yankees to do it. I know you were probably joking, but Posey wouldn’t be a bad backup at this point, his stats would probably improve. But he’d still be too expensive even if the Giants sent 9 million a year. Maybe the Yankees would just eat it, but I don’t see it happening.
Why just $9M? Posey for Frazier straight up would be a nearly fair trade based on just talent and potential. SF would end up eating almost all of Posey’s salary.
I don’t think the Giants would to paying Posey more than the Yankees are. And there is zero chance Frazier for Posey straight up happens.
I think you’re over-rating Frazier. Posey means a lot more to the Giants than you think. They’re not going to trade him for Frazier even if the Yankees take on all of his money owed. Giants will also will demand additional prospects.
An aging catcher making 19 million a year with an ops+ of 90 is not getting back Frazier or any of the Yankees top prospects.
Funny, I was just saying they should trade for a backup as insurance. I’m sure there are plenty of options but maybe a guy like Alex Avila or Pedro severino would be a fit
Just go out and get the best defensive catcher that isn’t necessary a starter. Someone like Luke Maile, because you don’t necessary need the bat just the defense late in games or during the dog day of August to keep Sanchez fresh. His salary doesn’t stop you from any other additions and would probably cost a prospect in the 20-30 range.
This might be bad to say, but this IL placement might be a good thing for Sanchez and the Yankees. Ever since Yankees got Encarnacion, Sanchez has been slumping way more than Judge’s post-HR derby or Gardner’s 2014 second-half season.
Hope he comes back healthy and perform to his standards.
How in the world did he pull a groin? He doesn’t move fast enough on the base paths or behind the plate.
The fastest I ever saw sanchez move was when he was sucker punching cabrera.
That 14-12 loss must still sting.
Yankees make the playoffs, lose in the first round. Same old story.
But what if they make it into the second round??
LOL, second round. You’re funny.
Same old story? They were one game from the WS two seasons ago.
They beat Minnesota in a wildcard game and then won 3 games to 2 against the Indians. Two central division teams. We all know about those central division teams.
Come on now, check your back pedaling.
That call for a pitch at a dude’s head was pretty quick, too.
Sanchez is an a hole.
He is a designated hitter. I know he’s near the mendoza line but thats all he is
Sanchez on IL again this year. Lazy slug and this is their way of giving him a vacation. Trade him !
Sanchez according to the Yankees is their best hitter. At least that was said awhile ago. That is certainly up for debate. My take he loses focus and is a loafer. Boone needs to get his attention. Move him way down in the order he is presently a rally killer.
He’s their best hitter? Really?
The Yankees best hitter is DJ LeMahieu. Sanchez isn’t even in the top 4.
“The Yankees best hitter is DJ LeMahieu. Sanchez isn’t even in the top 4.”
Thank You. These Yankee fans are silly.
1) DJ
2) Judge
3) Torres
4) Urshela
5) Hicks
Kind of crappy that he goes down again as he has been swinging the bat fairly well without much positive results. He’s susceptible to the low and outside slider so hopefully it’s something he can work on while down.
Sanchez 105 wRC+
Vazquez 111 wRC+
sanchez slumps for a month, gets hurt and now everyone hates him again. whats new
Polarizing fanbase for sure. Wait until Tanaka needs to skip a start and they’ll lament on how the Yankees should’ve signed Keuchel.
Exactly. Most people hated him saying he was washed up and no good. He turned around and made the all star game, and now people say it is because he is on the yankees, not performance. There are definitely some fans that think every Yankee fan is an all star – but more ya Kee haters out there by far.
Rocky as usual you equate people with different opinions to insisting on using something like “everyone hates him again”.
calling me rocky doesnt make me rocky. also, what are you even on about you pathetic fool?
Begamin….I think he thinks you’e me, but you’re spot on about him being a pathetic fool!
Sorry for you taking the flak.
I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about and as usual neither do you as I’m not even in this conversation slug!
The Cardinals have Weiters who would be available for a price
that price would be an ice cream bar. The Yankees will fine with their back ups stepping in here as long as they play decent defense. we have incredible depth in that line-up to sustain our position for the near future. Sanchez just needs to get healthy and come back when ready. Nothing more and nothing less.
the issue is of course starting pitching