Yankees disastrous start gets even worse after Miguel Andujar tears labrum
The New York Yankees got off to an underwhelming start to the 2019 season, losing two of three games to the lowly Baltimore Orioles in their opening series. The team’s outlook didn’t improve much Monday, when both Giancarlo Stanton and Miguel Andujar were placed on the injured list with different ailments.
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The 29-year-old Stanton will miss at least 10 days due to a biceps injury. Andujar could miss a lot more than 10 days.
The 24-year-old Andujar is dealing with a tear in his labrum. The team will treat him conservatively for two weeks but season-ending surgery could be on the table.
Miguel Andujar has a small labrum tear in his right shoulder. He will be treated conservatively for two weeks, but season-ending surgery is on the table.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) April 2, 2019
Big things were expected of Andujar heading into his sophomore season. As a rookie, he hit .297/.328/.527, with 27 home runs, over 606 plate appearances. That performance was good enough to net Andujar a second place finish in the American League Rookie of the Year voting.
With the injuries, the Yankees now have a fair amount of talent — and money — currently on the IL.
Yankees have $85 million in payroll on Injured List (or suspended in Sabathia's case). That's higher than four teams total payroll. @Yankees
— Richard Justice (@richardjustice) April 1, 2019
Stanton and Andujar joined Didi Gregorius, Jacoby Ellsbury, Aaron Hicks, Dellin Betances and Luis Severino, among others, on the IL. Stanton is making $26 million in 2019. Ellsbury is making $21 million. They account for more than half of the $85 million the Yankees currently have on the injured list.
Even with those players sidelined, the Yankees can still put together a fairly imposing lineup. The team will rely on Aaron Judge, Luke Voit, Greg Bird and Gary Sanchez to provide pop. After that, they still have D.J. LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres and Troy Tulowitzki at the bottom of the lineup.
While the team has to compete in a tough American League East, it helps that most of the American League is rebuilding. The Yankees can easily get through a short stretch without those players.
The first series might have been rough, but the Yankees are too talented — even with these injuries — to struggle for long.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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