Yankees: 3 NYY trade targets who’ve been wrecked by injuries

Pretty fitting that some potential future members of the Yankees family are already battling the injury bug before they even got a chance to suit up for the Bombers.

Even in projections and prognostications, the Injured List waits for no Yankee. Unfortunate.

This trade deadline will be a bit different for Brian Cashman. Though it briefly looked like he’d have to consider selling as the high-priced Yankees plummeted towards .500, his job has now been saved (for the time being) by a solid stretch against the Blue Jays and A’s.

Now with his attention turned to shoring up the roster, this year will be unique in another key way: the bullpen isn’t really going to be the focal point of his aggression. Despite injuries (or perhaps because of them?), the Yankees now have a deeper unit than usual, and will be welcoming back players like Darren O’Day (and Justin Wilson?) in the coming weeks.

So, what’s on the to-do list? A center fielder, left fielder, or … really any outfield bat who can hit left-handed. The starting rotation, once elite, isn’t exactly stable, either. Michael King has absorbed Corey Kluber’s rotation spot, though his starts seem to last four innings maximum; Luis Severino won’t be back for a while; and Jameson Taillon is playing himself out of the picture.

We’re not sure who Cash is eyeing, but the field has been narrowed due to recent developments beyond his control. The Reds, once though to be prime sellers, likely fancy themselves as Wild Card contenders now. The Giants are much more than that; remember April when we thought we might be able to pry Kevin Gausman loose? Embarrassing for us.

Then, of course, there are the injuries, which have taken these three players off the board for us, you’d think.

Injuries will stop the Yankees from making these 3 trades.

3. Spencer Turnbull

Spencer Turnbull first piqued our attention (along with Jose Ureña) when he rolled up to Yankee Stadium and shut down our “vaunted” lineup before faltering at the tail end of the outing and allowing four earned runs in five innings. This was one day after the Yankees put up 10 runs on Tarik Skubal and Detroit’s ‘pen, so we were impressed.

Needless to say, Turnbull only got stronger from there (his third start of the season), posting a no-hitter in Seattle and helping his Tigers sweep the Yankees at Comerica Park later in the month. Once barely on the trade radar, he’d fully vaulted to the top of many big boards…

…but then he got hurt. Turnbull’s most recent start was a four-inning outing in Chicago against the White Sox, where he used his trademark high heat to limit the surging Sox to one run before being pulled.

The righty’s arsenal looks a lot like what we were told we were getting in Jameson Taillon: power fastball high, sharp breaker, well-located plus stuff. Unfortunately, he suffered a right forearm strain on June 5, hasn’t begun to throw yet, and will be on the shelf well past the All-Star break.

Without any assurances about his durability moving forward, we don’t think Cashman will pull the trigger, especially with such a spotty track record with pitching acquisitions already.

And speaking of injured Tigers on similar timelines…