One day after the New York Yankees placed veteran utility man Dustin Ackley on the disabled list, the 28-year-old has elected to undergo surgery that will end his 2016 season.
On Sunday, New York Yankees first baseman/outfielder Dustin Ackley injured his shoulder while diving into first base. As a result, Ackley was placed on the disabled list among a flurry of moves that also saw pitcher Luis Severino get demoted to Triple-A. After announcing that Ackley’s injury was a torn labrum, manager Joe Girardi told reporters that surgery was a possibility.
On Tuesday, the decision was made that Ackley would indeed have surgery to repair the torn labrum. The procedure will end his 2016 season.
Dustin Ackley has opted for season-ending labrum surgery. #Yankees
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) May 31, 2016
Rob Refsnyder was recalled in Ackley’s place but it’s unclear what the Yankees’ plan for him will be going forward. Mark Teixeira is back in the Yankees lineup, and they seem comfortable with a multitude of options behind him with Ackley out. Refsnyder, a second baseman for most of his minor league career, started in right field for New York on Tuesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays.
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The Yankees also have a highly-touted prospect, Aaron Judge, waiting at Triple-A. Judge, 24, is the Yankees’ No. 2 ranked prospect, according to MLB.com. Judge was the Yankees’ first-round pick in 2013. Over three minor league seasons, he’s hit .274/.362/.455. Over that span, the power-hitting right fielder has hit 44 home runs. Judge has never played any first base in the minor leagues, but at 6’7″ he certainly fits the bill of a first baseman. To this point, though, there hasn’t been any indication that Judge will be brought up soon.
Ackley started 10 games at first base this season. He also started six games in right field and one at designated hitter. He was hitting .148/.243/.148 in 70 plate appearances.
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Ackley was the No. 2 overall pick by the Seattle Mariners in the 2009 draft. He came up as a second baseman, but in recent years he’s bounced around the field in more of a utility role. The Yankees acquired Ackley at the 2015 trade deadline, and he’s under team control until 2018.