Harrison Bader injury further twists knife in Yankees' brutal Thursday

When Thursday began, the Yankees were nursing one semi-significant injury, hoping to get reliever Tommy Kahnle back in rhythm when his no-throw shutdown ended towards the start of next week.

When Thursday ended? Somehow, Kahnle had been joined by three other key Yankees in the infirmary.

Reliever Lou Trivino will be out through mid-May, at the earliest, with a somewhat severe elbow strain. Carlos Rodón, the team's prize offseason acquisition, suffered a mild forearm strain away from the UCL. He stated he'd have pitched through it during a crucial playoff game, but he and the team believed it would be better to remain on the shelf for the time being. Agreed.

And, after wrapping up a sullen 11-7 loss to the Boston Red Sox, Aaron Boone announced that consummate Yankee/October wunderkind Harrison Bader had injured his oblique in his final at-bat of Wednesday's contest. Further tests to determine the injury's severity are needed.

Yankees CF Harrison Bader going for tests on injured oblique

And on the very same day that Jon Heyman floated a Bader extension, called him the perfect Yankee, and revealed that the center fielder was open to conversations.

Maybe he is the perfect Yankee: enticing and unavailable.

In New York's latest attempt to stretch, run, throw and hit at the same pace as the rest of the league without clattering into a pile of muscles and bones, they lost Bader, and based on the natural trickiness of obliques, don't expect him back soon, no matter the diagnosis or grade of this particular strain.

That leave the Yankees with a single reliable outfielder: Aaron Judge, who's been playing right, left and center this spring. Dreaming of sending Aaron Hicks to the shadow realm? Nope. Sorry. Not only will he be starting in the outfield, but he's now a more essential piece of this lineup. Giancarlo Stanton in the field? You can dream on it, but that never works out for too long. Oswaldo Cabrera dreams of playing center? Now's your shot.

As always, the Yankees are dropping like flies before the season's even begun. This time, they all picked the same day to triple the carnage. Wonderful.