Yankees Bullpen Jeopardized with Andrew Miller’s Wrist Fracture

Training without serious injuries posing a problem for Opening Day. Unfortunately, Wednesday’s recent events in an exhibition match with the Atlanta Braves could have drastically altered New York’s biggest strength.

Andrew Miller was hit by a come-backer on his right wrist and was immediately escorted off of the field in the seventh inning of the ballgame. The left-hander winced in pain and slung his glove to the ground in a moment of agony, and at the same time, the Yankee Universe instantly held its breath for an injury report.

“Scary. You worry. You see him throw his glove…You get this far in Spring Training and you see how sometimes fragile the game is, a line drive like that,” Joe Girardi said in a press conference with Bryan Hoch, media

After a little time had passed, one of the Yankees’ other talented relievers gave a hopeful analysis on Miller’s condition. When the media caught up to Dellin Betances, here’s what he had to say about the situation: “No swelling or nothing. Pray for the best,” according to a tweet from Wallace Matthews.

An astounding pitcher Betances is, but a doctor he is not.

For a moment it seemed as though the 6’8″ reliever’s words had some truth behind them. Miller was sent off for X-rays and CT scans to further evaluate his wrist. The X-ray came back negative, but a CT scan later discovered a chip fracture.

Granted the fracture is on Miller’s glove-side wrist, which isn’t quite as dooming compared to any hypothetical damage to his throwing hand. But this isn’t an injury to take lightly, and at the current moment the Yankees are unaware of his potential recovery time. Further examination at a hand specialist in the near future will better determine Miller’s road to returning to the back-end of the bullpen.

The Yankees are already working around the suspension of Aroldis Chapman until May 9th, thus leaving Betances as the only assured member of the dominant trio that the team could have optimally carried into the season.

On top of that, the team is also dealing with spring standout Bryan Mitchell‘s sprained toe, which occurred an inning after Miller’s injury on a play when Mitchell was covering first base. The right-hander was informed earlier this week that he had made the team’s Major League roster, presumably out of the bullpen. Now with injuries to Miller and Mitchell, the suspension of Chapman looms larger over the Bombers and their fans until the results for both pitchers’ returns are evident.

It’ll be interesting to see how the bullpen battles shake out for the remainder of the spring.