Yankees fans puzzled by Matt Carpenter’s cryptic Instagram caption

The New York Yankees miss Matt Carpenter more than anyone could’ve possibly expected when they signed him as a left-handed wild card bat (and potential luggage handler) at the tail end of May.

During his 128 at-bats with the Bombers, Carpenter staved off the DFA several times, always rebounding from periods of inactivity to join the lineup and prove his worth. The mustachioed assassin clubbed 15 homers and provided the left-handed thump Joey Gallo was unable to, but found himself laid up for (what could be) the remainder of the season after a bad bounce on a foul ball in Seattle.

All along, Carpenter has refused to rule himself out for the remainder of the 2022 season, even though most projections have him back right around the start of the ALDS, a series the Yankees may not even reach, at the very earliest.

Knowing how optimistic Carpenter’s been, and how guarded the fan base has acted in return, Yankees fans have been left wondering what exactly Carpenter meant by his emoji choices in his most recent Instagram post.

Is Yankees slugger Matt Carpenter on the road to return?

Last time we heard from a doctor, things didn’t sound particularly great for Carpenter, who fractured a bone in his foot on Aug. 8.

But now, he’s tossing a bandaged heart and an hourglass around like everybody speaks the same emoji language. Matty, fella, we’re lost here!

Does that mean his heart is broken, but time heals all wounds? If so, that begs the question: How much time do we need to heal this specific wound? 

Maybe Carpenter’s hinting that he’s on the mend, despite what doctors have relayed, and has plenty of time remaining to make an impact this season? Or maybe he just wanted Yankee fans to embrace debate during the season’s final weeks, instead of going with the caption I pitched him: “Foot’s broken, feels bad!”

Carpenter wasn’t the only beloved Yankee to befuddle New York City with an emoji cocktail this week. Fan favorite reliever Stephen Ridings dropped a concoction on us, too, which made us wonder … how soon? And flying to where, exactly?

Ridings, if healthy, will probably remain at the minor-league level getting his sea legs back for the rest of the campaign, especially with Zack Britton, Miguel Castro, Aroldis Chapman and Scott Effross reportedly all circling a big-league return, too.

Carpenter? His fate is sealed. As soon as he’s healthy, he’s going right back to New York. Both he and Andrew Benintendi could fill out the Yankees’ lineup spectacularly well, if the hourglass heals his busted heart in time.

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