On Tuesday, Aaron Boone announced that infamous Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury will miss time in Spring Training due to… wait for it… injury. Here we go again.
Months after winning the World Series with the Boston Red Sox, Jacoby Ellsbury and the New York Yankees came to terms on a deal that would bring the outfielder to the Bronx for 7-years, $153M. To announce the deal, the Yanks held a press conference with Ellsbury and aired it on the YES Network.
After being asked a question regarding how it felt to be playing for New York, Ellsbury responded, “It’s nice to have the fans on my side now”.
If you’re a fan of the Yankees, that one hurts to hear right about now.
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How ironic is it that Jacoby Ellsbury, the guy the Yankee brass chose over the ever popular Robinson Cano in 2014, is probably the most unpopular Yankee since Jack McDowell flipped off the fans 1995.
Even worse, Ellsbury’s unpopularity is a result of something that perhaps is beyond his control, which is injuries.
In his five years with the Yanks, Ellsbury has missed time in three seasons, including ALL of 2018. He’s suffered knee strains, oblique strains, concussions, hip and foot injuries, the list goes on and on.
The latest injury? Plantar Fasciitis.
"According to Aaron Boone, ““Obviously, he had hip surgery late in the year and we expected him to be here as an active player from the start [of spring training], but just some issues he’s had with his plantar fascia kind of crept up as he went through his rehab this winter. It slowed him a little bit.”"
Ellsbury is now expected to report to Spring Training in March, about a month after the rest of the team. However, don’t be surprised if some other ailment pops up by then.
I know I won’t be.
Many have speculated that this could be a sign that the Yankees might have a deal in place with another team for Ellsbury. Last month, it was reported that the San Francisco Giants were willing to swap bad contracts with the Yanks, trading Ellsbury for Johnny Cueto straight up.
I find this highly doubtful.
Why would a team willingly take on Ellsbury’s contract?
For right now, keeping Ellsbury on the team is working out just fine for the Yanks, despite the aggravation their fans feel about his constant absence. While Ellsbury, who let’s face it, is just not that good anymore, nurses his injuries, insurance pays the bills.
So, no harm, no foul, right?