3:03 pm | August 3, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:
NEW YORK — Yankees slugger Edwin Encarnacion is heading to the 10-day injured list with a broken right wrist, the team announced before the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Red Sox.
Earlier, in the first game of the twin bill, the designated hitter was struck on the bottom of his right hand as he tried to get out of the way of an eighth-inning 87.1 mph slider that stayed up and in.
The pitch from Boston’s Josh Smith caused obvious and immediate pain to the 36-year-old Encarnacion, who was quickly evaluated on the field by head Yankees athletic trainer Steve Donohue and manager Aaron Boone. Even after that evaluation, though, Encarnacion took his base and remained in the game.
After the Yankees’ next hitter, Gleyber Torres, grounded out, Encarnacion was taken in for initial X-rays. They came back negative, but a subsequent CT scan revealed the break.
The Yankees said Encarnacion will remain in New York next week while they travel to Baltimore and Toronto. At some point within the next 7-10 days, he will be reevaluated, and at that time, the ball club will have a better idea of what his next rehab steps will be.
Currently, there is no indication how much time Encarnacion might ultimately miss.
With the 30-homer hitter now shelved, the Yankees are down three first basemen. The once-touted Greg Bird is continuing to rehab a plantar fascia issue at the Yankees’ complex in Tampa, Florida. Starter Luke Voit also is on the IL, awaiting word from doctors on his next steps following his diagnosis earlier this week for a sports hernia.
Although Encarnacion served as New York’s DH on Saturday, he had been helping play first base as injuries there have besieged the Bronx Bombers. Traded to the Yankees from Seattle on June 15, Encarnacion is currently hitting .240 with an .864 OPS. Specifically with the Yankees, he’s hitting .238 with nine homers, 27 RBI and an .824 OPS in 36 games.
Encarnacion has been replaced on the Yankees’ active roster by lefty-hitting Mike Ford, who was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after making his major league debut in April.
At Triple-A, Ford has hit .303 with 23 homers, 60 RBI and a 1.007 OPS in 79 games.
The Yankees currently have 15 players on their IL. In total, 25 have spent time on the IL this season.
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