Miguel Andújar has been held back by soreness in his right hand/wrist area and will see a specialist tomorrow, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including Marly Rivera of ESPN and Lindsey Adler of the Athletic). That evaluation will surely provide a clearer diagnosis and timetable for Andújar’s return to action, but this seemingly raises the possibility of a season-opening IL stint. Andújar hasn’t played much over the past two years after a strong rookie season in 2018. The 26-year-old has been frequently mentioned as a possible trade candidate based on the offensive upside he showed a few years ago and his lack of an obvious path to playing time in New York. The Yankees could continue to hold onto him as high-minors depth, though, as Andújar has an option year remaining.
More from the game’s East divisions:
- Fellow Yankee Robinson Chirinos will also see a specialist tomorrow as he seeks a second opinion on his fractured right wrist (via Rivera and Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). Surgery is a possibility, per Hoch. Chirinos has been in camp as a non-roster invitee. The 36-year-old catcher is typically a productive hitter for his position but struggled in 82 plate appearances between the Rangers and Mets in 2020.
- Red Sox reliever Ryan Brasier seems unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive and Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. Manager Alex Cora revealed this morning that Brasier fractured a pinky over the offseason and was also absent early in camp for personal reasons. That pair of obstacles has delayed his ramp-up process, and it doesn’t seem he’ll be able to build up sufficient strength in time for April 1. The right-hander posted a decent 3.96 ERA/3.86 SIERA over 25 innings last season.
- Another reliever slowed down by injury is Nationals right-hander Tanner Rainey. The fireballing 28-year-old has yet to pitch in a Spring Training game due to a minor muscle strain near his right collarbone, writes Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. He was able to throw a 30-pitch bullpen session yesterday though. Washington manager Dave Martinez expressed some hope Rainey will be able to make it back by Opening Day, but that doesn’t appear to be certain. Rainey was quietly excellent for the Nats last season, tossing 20.1 innings of 2.66 ERA/2.30 SIERA ball.
