Gleiber Torres’ teeth forces him out, and the backup catcher goes down
The New York Yankees are making great progress this spring, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t faced a little adversity in the process. Some injuries are starting to pop up, most notably Frankie Montas’ shoulder, which required surgery and will likely keep him out for most of the 2023 season.
Reserve catcher Ben Rortvedt suffered an aneurysm in his shoulder that was bothering his finger, which he must ignore for at least a month.
The Yankees have quite a few injury issues:
Now, the Yankees are dealing with the minor issue of Gleyber Torres—his tooth was knocked out, forcing him out of the Thursday afternoon contest, in which he was originally scheduled to participate.
Torres enjoyed a solid start to spring training, recording four hits, a homer, one RBI, and two runs through just eight hits. His hot start is exactly what Yankee fans wanted to see him get out of the 2022 season.
The 26-year-old plans to be a second baseman for the Yankees, after posting his best defensive campaign last year. Across 1,082.2 innings, he enjoyed a . 985 percentage with only seven errors. He recorded nine runs defensive saves above average, his highest mark in any given season.
Fortunately for the Bombers, Jose Treviño and Kyle Higashioka are staying healthy since losing another backup catcher this week. Josh Breaux, 25, enjoyed 41 games with Triple-A Scranton last year. He was vying to make the 26-man roster or at least showcase his development. Unfortunately, he picked up an elbow injury that will force him to miss the next few weeks, which likely means he will miss the rest of training camp. Breaux hit . 239 with a 0.27 OBP last year, including six homers and 21 RBI across 172 plate appearances.
Aaron Boone said Josh Brooks is dealing with an elbow injury. Likely to miss a few weeks.
The Yankees can’t afford more casualties at the catcher’s position without bringing in reinforcements. That brings us to an interesting conversation about Gary Sanchez, a free agent looking for a new home. If the Yankees can bring him back on a cheap contract, they might be willing to reunite and compete at the back end of the roster.
