NEW YORK – Yankees star shortstop Gleyber Torres is expected to miss two to three weeks while recovering from penalties in his hamstring and quadriceps, and pitcher James Paxton will not miss 14 days due to a tight left arm.
New York manager Aaron Boone delivered the updates Saturday. The team worked at Yankee Stadium after this weekend’s Subway weekend at Citi Field was postponed when two members of the Mets tested positive for the coronavirus.
Torres, Paxton and relief Luis Avilan were put on the injured list on Friday. Big-hit Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu were already on the IL, along with relievers Zack Britton and Tommy Kahnle and backup catcher Kyle Higashioka.
Many pitchers around the majors have gone to IL this season, including World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg, Justin Verlander and Madison Bumgarner.
“I find it pretty simple,” Paxton said. “We haven’t had enough time to go at a slower pace to kind of build up.”
Major League Baseball closed out of spring training in mid-March due to the outbreak of viruses and teams held a three-week camp in July before the pandemic-delayed season began.
“The fatigue builds up,” Paxton said. “We do not have the basis we normally have.”
Paxton said he hopes to join the Yankees again in time to get some start for the leaders of the American League East before the postseason begins.
Britton was one of the few Yankees who managed to avoid the injury list in 2019. A Republican player player, he attributes many of the medical problems surrounding the major leagues this season to the virus-affected conditions.
“This year is very unique,” he said. “There are just a ton of injuries through the whole game.”
‘That’s to be expected,’ he said, adding, ‘just by refurbishing so quickly.’
Paxton gave up three runs in five innings against Tampa Bay on Thursday and struck out eight. The 31-year-old lefty is 1-1 with a 6.64 ERA in five starts this season.
Judge was expected to be in the lineup when the Yankees are scheduled to play Tuesday night in Atlanta. Boone said it did not appear likely that the Yankees and Mets would try makeup on Monday, a day off for both teams.
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