Yankees: Justin Wilson exits Monday’s game with apparent injury

UPDATE: It’s a “tight left shoulder” for Wilson. The Yankees will have updates on Tuesday.

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Apparently, this year it’s going to be the bullpen that’s decimated by injuries for the New York Yankees before the campaign even begins.

First, Zack Britton went down, and surgery to remove a bone chip in his elbow knocked him out for several months.

Now, Justin Wilson — the supposed “luxury item” the team signed late in free agency on a multi-year deal — has exited another brutal spring training outing flexing his arm.

Wilson, sporting a 23.00+ ERA after arriving to camp late (due to the unseasonable winter storms in Texas), may have been a Clark Schmidt-esque victim of ramping up his velocity too soon to make the Opening Day roster.

He may have been many things.

But what he certainly is is injured just about a week before the season is set to begin, leaving the Yankees two lefties short.

Yankees LHP Justin Wilson is injured just before Opening Day.

So, in case you were worried about Lucas Luetge’s chances of making the team, fear not! Only problem is the Yankees now need to find another late-inning option at the horn.

Do they believe in Jonathan Loaisiga and Nick Nelson? Of course. Were the Yankees hoping to place a little less pressure on them from the outset of the season? Also yes.

Wilson, in 19.2 innings in 2020, struck out 23 men in yet another season with under a 4.00 ERA, his fourth consecutive excellent season since an average campaign in Detroit in 2016. He’s been dependable. He’s missed bats. He’s held down the middle innings for several years.

When the Yankees managed to secure his services on a well-structured multi-year deal at the end of spring, it felt like a free gift. Adam Ottavino had become both Wilson and Darren O’Day. Upgrade!

Well…when Britton went down, Wilson moved up a rung. When he struggled through the spring, he became a question mark with a prominent role. Now, he may not exist.

This year it’s the bullpen, apparently. So it goes. Stay tuned for updates.

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