What we have seen this year in Major League Baseball, has been nothing less than mind boggling. Record setting amounts of home runs is one thing, but the amount of injuries is off the charts. There is no team immune to injuries and we always hear it is, “Part of the game.” Frankly, I myself have grown tired of hearing those words. That being said, who can explain all the weird, freak injuries we have seen this year. Dustin Fowler going down in the first inning of his major league debut was hard to watch. At least Greg Bird got to play in 19 games and came to the plate 72 times this year. And then there is Gleyber Torres. Talk about a crazy injury. He has to be the only player in the history of baseball to require Tommy John surgery on his non throwing arm, after a head first slide into home. What the heck is he sliding head first into home for anyway? I mean, who is writing this script?
We have seen a dozen players from the Yankee farm system brought up in the past few weeks. Not because they are killing it in the minors and require no more seasoning, but because the Yankees are beginning to sustain injuries left and right to their 25 man roster. These young studs will be big leaguers, no doubt about it, but the Yankees really need them now to fill the void left by one after another going down on their once first place team.
What is unusual, is the fact that these are not the type of injuries we have been so used to hearing about over the past five years. They are not from over working young arms or those associated with body building muscle explosions. They seem to be of the old fashion kind of DL language injuries we are used to hearing about from years past. You know, the ones players get from actually playing hard. Sliding into a base or a wall. Running hard and pulling a hammy. Injuries that we can understand in layman’s terms. That doesn’t make it any less painful for Yankee fans. Injuries to veterans is one thing, injuries to young sure shot prospects is something else. You hate to see that.
Next up will be Clint Frazier who will be joining the big boys on Saturday in Houston. The Yankee’s number two prospect they received from Cleveland in their trade last year for Andrew Miller. The Indians are still getting a great performance every game from Miller. The Yankees will get a glimpse of what they got in return soon. I could see Frazier was something special after watching him in spring training. He will not be allowed to show off that long red hair in pinstripes. You can only grow long hair in Queens. But seriously, is he ready? And please, the last thing we need to hear is “And Down Goes Frazier.” The Yankees have been trying to give these young kids the proper ease in transition from the minors to the majors. Having them make their mistakes on a lesser stage. But they need to have them here now. All because of the word that has become feared so much this season, “Injury.”