Tim Locastro’s season is over after the Yankees outfielder suffered a torn ACL in tonight’s 3-1 win over the Red Sox. Yankees manager Aaron Boone informed reporters of Locastro’s injury following the game. In the first inning, Locastro made a running catch into the left field wall in foul ground to snag an Alex Verdugo fly ball, though he came up limping after the play was done. Locastro stayed in the game for the inning’s final two outs, but was replaced in left field at the start of the second frame.
It’s an awful turn of events for Locastro, who was playing in just his ninth game with the Yankees (a home state team for the Syracuse native) since being dealt from the Diamondbacks on July 1. The Yankees acquired Locastro to provide some outfield depth in the wake of injuries to Aaron Hicks and Clint Frazier, but with Locastro now also heading to the injured list, the team will be further shorthanded. New York is already missing several players due to both injuries and a COVID-19 outbreak, so another dip into the farm system will be required in the short term, and some reinforcements are even more necessary as the trade deadline approaches.
In the bigger picture, an ACL tear is particularly damaging for a player who relies on elite speed as his signature weapon. Locastro hasn’t hit much over 503 career PA (in five Major League seasons with the Dodgers, D’Backs, and Yankees), but he earned a spot in the MLB record books earlier this season by becoming the first player in history to go a perfect 29-for-29 on the first 29 stolen base attempts of his career. The streak finally ended when Locastro was caught stealing in a game against the Nationals on April 17, and in fact Locastro has been caught stealing in three of eight attempts this season.
Get back on the phone with AZ? Calhoun and Peralta should be available.
Thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.
Rather have no one than Peralta
I like(d) Peralta, as well. Really Good defender, under contract for another year at $7.5m..certainly not an exorbitant number. Oh and of course …he is a Lefty hitter we’ve been clamoring for what seems like forever. But is he the right lefty hitter…………..Would he help the Yankees? Of course. But that’ because we seem to have no other choices……But are we really looking for players that can “help”, or guys that could be difference makers. He could be a piece, but he is not the answer. His OPS has gone down sharply over the last 3 years….He has 21 Hr’s in the last 3 years that spans around 900 ab’s ! It’s not that Hr’s are the cure all for their weaknesses….but is he a difference maker.? So after they get him (possibly)…the real question is “what then” ??? Right now there are soooo many deficiencies in the team, not sure where to start. There are TWO choices/options here. HALacious Steinbrenner opens up his bank account to puts a winner on the field (not likely)……trade Torres for Story……or SELL !!!! Go out and trade so called prospects for Marquez.. Wouldnt a few world Series rings take care of this tax threshold? HAL actually said his father was “rash” at times with his decision making…..LOL. All daddy did in his tenure with the Yankees was win 7 WS and 11 pennants.! Is that NOT the name of the game.?
Yawn …..
Yeah no Ketel Marte from Arizona back in a trade then forget it.
Foolish Baseball disapproves of this injury
Does this mean Stanton will play OF?
Good luck with that.
He probably could and should but the Yankees know better so he won’t.
It wouldn’t help in regard to how Stanton’s chunk of the salary affects the luxury tax, but if he’s insured like Ellsbury was, the Yankees could recoup some of Stanton’s salary if he got hurt playing the outfield. It would be interesting to see if Stanton would fight an assignment to the outfield, and, if he did, how the Players Association would react.
Zero chance Stanton would fight getting asked to play the outfield, as long as they first give him some time to sharpen his fielding.
Playing the outfield would boost his value, so that 5 years from now when he’s approaching the final guaranteed year of his contract, he can push for more than the $25M he’s scheduled to make in 2027.
He will want another contract, he’s not gonna retire at age 37 if he doesn’t have to do so. Being able to fill in at OF will help him achieve that.
And from the Yankees perspective, if he’s playing outfield then he’s more tradable.
Is going from 0.1% tradable to 0.2% tradable worth it?
Stanton has repeatedly said his preference is to play in the field.
But just so I’m clear on this, @Person.
Are you saying that the Yanks should take out an insurance policy on him & “force” him to play him in the OF in the hopes he does indeed get injured?
& this would be so the Yanks could recoup some of his salary. Correct?
Man.
Yankee fans. No wonder everybody hates us.
LOL … if he can play OF somewhat competently, his trade-ability will go up quite a bit. NL teams could acquire him. AL teams that already have a fulltime DH could acquire him. There’s two corner OF positions on every team, so 58 fielding positions + 14 DH positions is better than just 14 DH positions.
Stanton is untradeable regardless of if he plays the OF or not. Stanton could be able to play all 9 positions on the field simultaneously and you still could not move that contract.
That said, i don’t think Stanton would be against playing the Outfield it’s just the Yankees know he is injury prone and best way to secure value is letting him DH. Unfortunately for Giancarlo the mind and spirit may be willing but the body isn’t
I’d never want to root for anyone to get injured but Stanton will get hurt again regardless of whether or not he ever plays another game in the outfield.
He has 13 games in the outfield since 2018. I doubt anyone will see him as an outfielder, even if the Yankees play him out there.
Tough one for Locastro. He’s a fringy player to begin with, so he needs his great speed as a difference maker. Hopefully he can make a full comeback health wise.
Damn that sucks for him. Always like him since his (short) Dodger time. He was fun to root for. Talk about someone who relies on his legs
Amburgey and Greg Allen your up next on the assembly line.
Oakland would give up Stephen Piscotty for Trevor Lane.
i guess Park or Allen will occupy a 40-man spot after the COVID guys come back
Marisnick for a pitcher in A-Ball?
There’s something so comical that the Yankees picked up Locastro for a defensive, cheap upgrade in CF just to still play the older veteran out there. And then he goes down for the season. Hope for a speedy recovery for Tim but ffs NY, you’re the Yankees. Who cares about the luxury tax.
LF is more difficult to play at Yankee Stadium than CF.
No, it isn’t. Otherwise they’d have played Frazier in center, not left field.
Just go get Gallo
Well he can take his .646 OPS and go home…..
Why is he still in the major leagues? A major price correction needs to happen…..
Hello Cash, it’s your buddy Farhan. Are you ready to take back Tauchman?
All I want is a bag of peanuts.
Your Buddy, Farhan.
I’ll never understand some fans’ obsession with Tauchman.
No thoughts or prayers for a speedy recovery? The bias against Yankees players sure is thick around here.
Read the thread again. Read particularly RobM’s post.
No point in trading for anyone the team isn’t going to win anything this year. Sell sell sell thats my opinion no point this season is done. Lets say we empty the farm for a CF and maybe a descent number 2 type pitcher that still won’t be enough we probably still end up in fourth place in the division.
I liked Locastro. The comparison between the energy he brought to his game with his limited skills and his salary ought to shame a certain DH who won’t run hard to first base on a grounder for fear he’ll hurt himself.
I hope Tim takes some consolation from the fact that his injury occurred on a great play in a critical close game in Yankee Stadium that rightfully won him cheers.
There’s literally nothing to sell. Everyone who’s decent is signed or controllable next year. The rest of the roster is either injured or playing terribly. The only moves your making are minor depth moves for this year and anything that would help next season. Just let Gittens, Park, Ambugery and Florial play. If this roster regroups and nabs a WC great. If not see you in ’22.
We got hanniger … Make it worth it to dipota and u can have him
No, I wouldn’t want to see Mitch take a step down by going to a losing dugout !!
Yankees manager Aaron Boone called the incident “awful, embarrassing, unacceptable,’’ and called Cora from the manager’s office to apologize to Verdugo and the Red Sox.
“Hopefully, he’s in jail right now,’’ Boone said of the offending fan. “It’s just a bad situation, and if I was Alex Cora, I would have done the same thing’’ in pulling his club off the field.
“There’s zero place for that in this great game, this great rivalry.’’
According to plate umpire and crew chief Jeff Nelson, Verdugo was struck in the back of the neck by the ball thrown from the left field stands.
how do people justify to themselves being such heaping piles of garbage? like who does that sort of thing. hopefully Boston erects a statue of that dude so people can throw stuff at it.
I give Boone credit. I imagine that there are players on the yankees who think that some of their fans are garbage. Same on the Red Sox, sadly. People act like they can do anything because they bought a ticket. I heard a great story the other day.
A friend went to Fenway in a large group of Mets fans for a game a couple of years ago. Most of the fans were nice to them but one group of drunk guys started chanting, “yankees suck” at them. So they all turned around and started chanting, “We agree”, and all the Red Sox fans around them cracked up laughing while the drunk guys just looked like idiots.
It’s sad that a few jerks have to ruin the day and put a damper on this great game, but it happens.
Boone to me always seems to have his passion well-directed. i know there is a sect of the NYY fanbase that is unimpressed but he’s an asset on any staff as far as knowledge of and passion for the game goes.
I hope the best for him. But this is pure karma for the bs yankees fans that threw a ball at Verdugo and spit on Varitek’s 9 yr old daughter. You’ve got some disgusting “human beings” in that house.
Karma??? How can you claim garbage like that?
A. The injury happened 5 innings prior to that jerk throwing a ball at Verdugo.
B. There is not a Yankees fan here that approves of those “fans” disgusting actions. And I’m sure Locastro would 100% agree with us. There is no need for that crap at a baseball game or anywhere in life.
C. Let’s not act like Yankees Stadium is the only place where disgusting displays by “fans” have happened. Remember, Fenway is known for a history of racism. And that’s the only place in baseball where you here about that happened.
So knock it off with the karma crap. Just wish the best for Locastro and move on.
So, pre-karma. Wow! And also for something that happens a bunch of years ago, when Brett Gardner was the only guy who MIGHT have been there both times.
To say that’s a reach is an understatement.
Dumb comment by typical Boston ignorant fan
Mr. Balls: It looks pretty ignorant for you to insult all Boston fans based on the comment of one fan.
Was not watching the game but know they delayed the start for almost an hour due to weather concerns then played during the storm. Did a wet field contribute to the injury?
No way to tell, but it did not rain at all during the rain delay. That was just Cashman hoping to justify a rainout so he could get all his players back.
Before the game it’s up to the home team. Once it’s starts it’s up to the umpires.
Good conspiracy theory though.
People start thinking about things when there is a rain delay and the tarp is not even on the field as was the case at Yankee Stadium last night.
No. The rain hadn’t started yet. He made a nice catch, but seemed to land awkwardly near the wall, perhaps because he initially mistimed his leap.
Tough injury for Locastro, who always wanted to play for the Yankees. As a speed-first player, this type of injury could be devastating. Hopefully the surgery and rehab goes well.
I was watching the game with my son (we are six fans) and I told him you have to give your rivals credit when they sacrifice their body to make a play like that. I’m sad for that kid, playing hard seems to always end up getting guys hurt. Respect and best wishes for his recovery.
*Sox fans
I thought maybe you liked The Prisoner. 😉
Just get someone who will
Make them DFA brett Gardner. Sick of seeing this team pet get to play baseball. He stinks.
Thank you! Any real fan of this team knows Gardner is shot and his playing time for the last 2 years has been for non-merit reasons. Plus, he wined and complained last off-season about not wanting to finish in front of 0 fans. Acted liked he was deserving of some kind of ‘farewell tour’ like Mo & Jeter. He isn’t even on the level of Pettitte, Posada or Bernie.
Gardner is the symbol of what is wrong with the player evaluation process of this organization. He was only brought back because for some reason he is Cashman’s favorite player. He has mascaraed as a starting LF for years, when he should’ve only been a 4th (preferably 5th) OF that played for 5 or 6 different teams. And please, don’t anyone tell me “well, he wasn’t supposed to play this much”. They may have said that publicly but everyone knows that was pure BS. Even if Hicks & Frazier were both healthy and playing well, Cashman would have forced Boone to play him. #Charity
He doesn’t run, he sacrificed his speed for power when he was great contact hitters who ran the bases but won’t do it anymore.
Come get Gallo
There isn’t enough sage in the universe to rid the bad juju in the Yankees organization.