Yankees Injury Report: Gary Sanchez has a Grade 1 groin strain

Prior to Wednesday night’s win over the Twins, the Yankees placed All-Star catcher Gary Sanchez on the 10-day IL with a left groin strain. Kyle Higashioka was called up to replace him on the roster and backup Austin Romine.

This is now the second time this season the Yankees have had to put Sanchez on the IL after he missed 11 games with a left calf strain back in Mid-April. Last year he suffered a right groin strain also while running to first base which led to two separate IL stints and limited him to only 89 games on the season.

After he returned to the Yankees in late April from the calf injury Sanchez really took off offensively and had a huge first half so hopefully, he can do the same this time around once the groin is all healed up. Before the injury on Tuesday Sanchez had really struggled in July hitting only .103 with 1 HR and 4 RBI.

His average dropped all the way down to .229 on the season, but his power numbers are still very good with 24 HR and 58 RBI. Sanchez hit into some bad luck like always during a brutal 10 for 85 stretch but really his struggles were due to him chasing balls out of the strike zone and hitting the ball on the ground at a much higher rate.

There was speculation that a thumb injury contributed to Sanchez’s lack of production, but both he and Aaron Boone denied that it was an issue during his slump. In the final game against the Red Sox during the Londons series he was forced to leave the game with discomfort in his left thumb and ever since then his numbers have rapidly declined.

I’m sure that contributed to his struggles even though Gary would never admit it so if there’s one silver lining to the latest injury news it’s that he’ll have more time for it to heal. As for the groin, it’s a Grade 1 strain according to Boone which is the most minor on the strain scale but still, he’ll be out for some time. Per George King III of the New York Post:

“I guess it is minor, somewhat good news, but it is going to be some time. We will have to see how the next week unfolds, how he is feeling and when he can start back up baseball activities.’’

King added that three to four weeks is a good guess for Sanchez’s return, although it all depends on how he responds after that first week of treatment.

If Sanchez returns in late August that means he will miss the next eight games the Yankees will play against the rival Red Sox over the course of the next two weeks. Regardless of how much he’s been struggling that’s a huge blow for the Yanks because he always does damage against Boston, especially at Fenway Park where they’ll be this weekend.

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That being said, the Yankees offense is so deep and they’re red hot right now so with Austin Romine filling in they should be able to overcome his absence and maintain their big lead atop the AL East.

Assuming he comes back 100% healthy this time off could be a blessing in disguise for Sanchez and the Yanks because he really looked lost at the plate before the injury. He was a legitimate MVP candidate for most of the first half of the season, but the wear and tear of catching five to six times a week seemed to finally take its toll on him as the first half came to an end.

After the Yanks acquired Edwin Encarnacion it was hard for Boone to get Sanchez into the lineup as the DH once or twice a week as he did before the trade.  There weren’t enough DH days to go around so when he played he was only catching.

When Sanchez returns he’ll probably continue to catch exclusively but next season the Yanks need to make sure he’s used as the DH every couple days so he doesn’t wear down by the time July rolls around.