2019 was a horrendous year for injuries in the Yankee clubhouse. Thirty players made trips to the Yankees Injury List for an MLB record including: Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Miguel Andujar, and many more. Despite this terrible string of bad luck, the Yankees stepped up. Next man up became their rallying cry, and that next man was always there to make an impact. Gio Urshela came up and had a breakout season after the Blue Jays had given up on him. Mike Tauchman came up and produced incredible numbers when the Yankees outfield was decimated with injuries. While everything was going wrong for the Yankee all-stars, it was almost as if nothing could go wrong for the next man up. They rode that wave to their first A.L East division title in seven years, though they ultimately fell short in the ALCS. 2020 was going to be different.
The Yankees made a big-time move this offseason by signing Garret Cole. With Cole on top of a lineup consisting of Severino, Tanaka, and Paxton, with Jordan Montgomery making his way back, the Yankees looked like they would once again be a juggernaut. Little did they know that the Injury bug would come back to haunt them. With the shortened season, every game counts, and every injury hurts all the more. Severino went down in spring training for Tommy John surgery, which was a huge blow to the pitching rotation, but that was just the start. Since then, Stanton, LeMahieu, Britton, Higashioka, and Kahnle have all been injured. On top of that, Judge had a minor injury scare, Paxton and Torres have both been sent for an MRI after the series finale against the rays. In a 162-game season, the Yankees could probably absorb these injuries with no worry, but in a 60-game season, this could be a cause for concern. The Yankees once again find themselves in need of their next man up mantra, and only time will tell if the next man is ready to make an impact.
For the full Yankees injury list, click here.
For more MLB coverage, click here.
