Yankees’ Greg Allen To Miss Six To Eight Weeks With Hip Flexor Strain

The Yankees placed Greg Allen on the 10-day injured list over the weekend after the outfielder strained his right hip flexor. It’s apparently a serious issue, as manager Aaron Boone told reporters this afternoon the club expected Allen to miss six to eight weeks (via Chris Kirschner of the Athletic).

It’s a tough break for the switch-hitting outfielder. Allen was looking to establish himself in a New York outfield that was already without Harrison Bader and since lost Aaron Judge to injury. He’d picked up a homer and a triple within his first 17 plate appearances since being acquired from the Red Sox in a minor trade last month. Allen has had a pair of brief stints with the Yankees over the past three years and performed well in each, though his overall MLB track record is modest.

In 292 career games, he’s a .231/.299/.340 hitter. Allen had some opportunities to carve out a role in Cleveland early in his career. His recent playing time has been more sporadic. He’s generally struggled offensively and is now on a second notable injury in as many seasons. He lost a good chunk of last year with a hamstring injury sustained while playing for the Pirates.

While the injuries to Judge and Bader are obviously far more significant problems, losing Allen for an extended stretch deals another hit to a Yankee outfield with few established players. New York has a group of Willie Calhoun, Jake Bauers, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Oswaldo Cabrera and Billy McKinney to take the reps on the grass. New York is using Giancarlo Stanton exclusively at designated hitter for now after an injured list stint due to a hamstring strain.

Bauers has hit well in limited playing time. Calhoun has been a roughly league average hitter. Kiner-Falefa and Cabrera have struggled, while McKinney just came up from the minors this week. Even once Judge and Bader come back, the Yankees figure to look for ways to add to the outfield via trade this summer.