Yankees bullpen takes another hit with injury to Andrew Miller

The Yankees three-headed bullpen monster could be down to one come opening day.  

With Aroldis Chapman serving a 30-game suspension for an offseason domestic incident, Andrew Miller was slated to continue as Yankees closer at least through May. However, Miller’s early season status is now completely up in the air after he suffered a chip fracture in his right non-throwing wrist during Wednesday’s spring game against the Altanta Braves. 

[Sign up for Fantasy Baseball | Play for $40K | Expert rankings | Mock draft ]

The injury occurred when Miller was struck was by a comeback line drive. Miller left the game immediately with trainers and was reported to be in considerable pain. He was spotted slamming his glove down in frustration, which was a sign he felt something was wrong.

Miller was originally diagnosed with a bruised wrist after X-Rays came back negative. However, a CT scan would later reveal the fracture. 

The timing of Miller’s injury couldn’t be worse for the Yankees. Not that there’s ever a good time to lose a closer, but with Chapman out of the picture this once loaded bullpen could be a mix-and-match unit for the first few weeks. Dellin Betances would slide into the closer’s role if Miller misses time in the regular season, but manager Joe Girardi would be forced to fill the critical innings Betances always covers.  

That’s a lot to take in and potentially take on with opening day five days away.  

There was no immediate timetable for Miller’s return. An injury to his non-throwing wrist is obviously better than his left wrist, but it could result in a significant absence. Pain tolerance aside, Miller would be vulnerable if he attempt to pitch through such an injury, and the Yankees would much prefer him getting healthy so this dominant bullpen set up can become a reality. 

[Elsewhere: Criminal charges to be dropped in Jose Reyes’ domestic-violence case]

This is another good reminder that even the best laid plans in baseball can crumble at a moment’s notice. That may not prove to be completely true for New York, but there’s a delicate line between looking good on paper and actually realizing potential. And all it takes is one split second to destroy that line.  

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

– – – – – – –

Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813