Yankees may not have Nathan Eovaldi or Mark Teixeira for the stretch run
Since mid-July, the American League East has featured the most excited division race in the game. The surging Toronto Blue Jays overtook the New York Yankees shortly after acquiring both Troy Tulowitzki and David Price, but the Yankees refuse to go away.
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After plenty of back-and-forth, New York is just a half game off the division lead. Whether or not they can continue to put pressure on the Blue Jays might depend on how soon the club can get healthy.
The team shut down Nathan Eovaldi with elbow inflammation Monday, but there was some hope he might be able to return during the regular season. General manager Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi didn’t seem so sure about that Tuesday.
Girardi told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com that he didn’t think Eovaldi would be back during the regular season.
“I would think it would probably be difficult to see him pitch before the season’s over,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “Maybe he could get in a game, but we don’t have a lot of time.”
On top of that, the club received more bad news Tuesday, as it was revealed first baseman Mark Teixeira hasn’t healed from a leg injury as quickly as expected. Teixeira hasn’t played since August 26 due to the issue, and Cashman told Grace Raynor of MLB.com that he may not return during the regular season either.
“Yeah, I do wonder,” general manager Brian Cashman said. “Again, first and foremost, it’s been a long time and he’s still having issues. Again, I can’t predict what’s going to happen here. There is a lot of time left. … I just don’t know. I just can’t predict.”
Teixeira had two injections in his leg to help with healing, but he’s still on crutches.
The injuries couldn’t come at a worse time for New York. Not only is the team in the middle of a pennant run, but both players were extremely valuable contributors this year.
Teixeira surprised everyone by cranking out a comeback season at age-35. Through 462 plate appearances, he’s hit .255/.357/.548, with 31 home runs. His .381 wOBA is his best since 2009, his first season with the Yankees. That figure is also the best on the Yankees this season. By many measures, Teixeira has been the team’s best offensive contributor. Now, it looks like they won’t have him for the rest of the year.
Eovaldi’s performance wasn’t as impressive, but the loss still hurts. While Eovaldi’s 4.20 ERA isn’t anything to write home about, it’s worth noting that he had already reached a career-high with a 3.1 WAR prior to being shut down. He reached that figure despite throwing 40 fewer innings than last season.
Overall, his numbers didn’t indicate a breakout, but Eovaldi made some progress this season. His strikeout rate took a slight step forward, from 16.6 percent to 18 percent. That was mostly due to his splitter, which he added this season. Eovaldi also managed to post a much higher ground ball rate. Again, those things didn’t lead to much better numbers, but they are promising looking ahead.
Adam Warren should replace Eovaldi in the rotation. He’s been solid in small spurts as a starter in the past, but it’s unclear whether he has Eovaldi’s upside.
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Overall, both injuries should make a significant dent on the Yankees chances during the season’s final month. That’s not to say they can’t win the division, only that it’s going to be much harder now.
At the same time, the Yankees have been doubted all season, but still remain in the race. For a team that’s already proved a lot of people wrong, what’s another injury or two at this point?
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
