12:30AM: Eusebio Torres, Gleyber’s father, tweeted (hat tip to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch for the translation) that his son is headed to Baltimore with the team, and “everything is fine” following his release from hospital. Urshela also told Hoch and other reporters that he was traveling with the team, though Hoch noted that Urshela’s legs were both wrapped in bandages.
11:33PM: The injury-riddled Yankees are once again having to hold their breath about some health situations, as infielders Gleyber Torres and Gio Urshela both made early exits from Sunday’s 7-4 win over the Red Sox.
Torres left the game after the seventh inning with what manager Aaron Boone described as “a core issue” in his postgame talk with media (including the YES Network). Boone was “not sure” when the injury occurred, and Torres was undergoing tests to further explore the problem.
Urshela’s issue was less mysterious, as he fouled two different pitches off his right knee area and left shin within the same at-bat in the sixth inning. Despite an on-field visit from team trainers, Urshela remained in the game through the next two frames, before finally being replaced in the field prior to the top of the ninth inning. In positive news, Boone said x-rays were negative on Urshela.
Torres and Urshela are two of the few Bronx Bombers who have avoided the injured list this year, and Torres is New York’s team leader in games played (103 of 111 contests). Torres is enjoying another excellent year, hitting .286/.353/.514 with 23 homers over 432 plate appearances.
Urshela isn’t far behind, with a .314/.359/.522 slash line and 12 homers over 320 PA. It’s been an astonishing breakout performance for a player who hadn’t shown anything remotely close to this level of offensive production in 499 Major League PA prior to this season, or over his 11 professional seasons in the major and minor leagues.
It’s been because of unheralded bench players like Urshela that the unbreakable Yankees have surged to a 72-39 record this season, despite losing almost every single member of their roster to the IL at one time or another with injuries ranging from minor setbacks to season-ending concerns. If either Torres or Urshela had to go on the IL, DJ LeMahieu would likely be shifted away from first base (as he was covering the position since Luke Voit and Edwin Encarnacion are both sidelined with injuries) and Breyvic Valera is on hand as the utility infielder. Tyler Wade and Thairo Estrada are on hand both at Triple-A for further depth.