Robinson Cano’s Bat Sorely Missed By Yankees

June 2, 2014; Bronx, NY, USA; Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano during batting practice prior to the game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Munson/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports

When Robinson Cano shocked MLB and signed a 10-year, $240 million contract with the Seattle Mariners back in December, the Yankees didn’t seem too phased by it. After all, they were busy making power moves of their own, signing elite players Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann. It seemed like the tables were set, and the Yanks found a way to replace Cano. However, injuries have turned this fairy-tale at the time into a haunting reality.

Beltran, who got off to an impressive start with the Yankees, has been on the DL since May 12th with a bone spur in his right elbow. Although he is set to return to the lineup on Friday, it may take some time for him to get back into his groove. Mark Teixeira has been in and out of the lineup due to a sore right wrist. It may be a while for him to be an everyday player again, leaving the Yankees a missing power bat. What the team seems to be missing these days is a bat in the lineup that is putting up numbers day in and day out, and that is what Cano did for them.

Last season, Robinson Cano batted .314 with 190 hits, 27 home runs and 107 RBI in 160 games played with the Yankees.

Although Yankee fans still have a bad taste in their mouth about Cano’s departure, they are slowly starting to see how much of an impact his missing bat is making in the lineup these days. One thing the Yankees have been struggling with this season is producing runs with runners in scoring position, something Robinson Cano was always good at and has continued to do so with the Mariners. “I’m where I need to be with my RBIs,” Cano told Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. “I’ve been doing my job with runners in scoring position. I feel like I’ve been doing my job.”

Not to mention that Cano has an OPS of .794, which is outpacing Ellsbury, Beltran and McCann.

Yankees’ fans may still continue to boo Cano, but both the fans and the team knows they lost one of their best players and it will be a journey to find a perfect replacement for him. With Carlos Beltran set to return in a few days and Mark Teixeira making progress on his wrist, we will hopefully slowly start to see the Yankees put up those big at-bats.