Confusing announcement on fan favorite prospect's IL stint is another Yankees bummer

While it seems likely the Yankees will be forced to stick with Gleyber Torres at second for the immediate future, his long-term likelihood of remaining in the Bronx is next to nil. Remember early in the season when his friendship with Juan Soto seemed like it might be determinative? Haven't heard about that in a while.

Now, the Yankees are left sifting through internal options for 2025, which sounds a lot more appealing after watching the successful elevation of Ben Rice. Nobody wanted to hear Hal Steinbrenner note that 2024's payroll wasn't sustainable long-term, but after watching some of the kids supplant the Yankees' washed-up veterans, it might be a more soothing message.

Caleb Durbin certainly could've joined Rice in the second half if he continued to cover multiple positions and scrap his way past Triple-A pitching all summer long. In fact, he still can; his recent injury remains under-reported and somewhat nebulous.

Unfortunately, his timeline was bumped back a bit further on Tuesday, when a confounding announcement dropped. After missing nearly a month and a half of action, Durbin was placed on the minors' 60-Day IL, which made perfect sense. The placement was retroactive to June 27, though, a month after he suffered his initial hit-by-pitch. What?

Wait, why is Yankees prospect Caleb Durbin on the 60-Day IL?

Last we heard of Durbin's injury, he was exiting a May 24 game after being struck on the hand, and though he briefly remained in the contest (of course he did), the infielder was placed on the mysterious seven-day injured list shortly thereafter. At that point, minor-league baseball's information gap sent him directly into a void. The Yankees won't tell you anything more than you need to know, and brother, they don't believe you need to know anything.

Some follow-up here would be fantastic, considering Durbin's peskiness often overshadowed his .871 OPS. The man was displaying real pop at Triple-A in addition to his tenacity and speed (20 stolen bags in 47 games!).

Hopefully, Durbin's current output represents a large enough sample size to get him a fair shake next spring, because if the tweet announcing his departure to the IL was accurate, it'll be a long while before he returns this season. Hey, maybe Durbin and Jasson Dominguez can hit the Triple-A lineup again at the same time!