The New York Yankees have two sides to toughness – Thairo Estrada and Jacoby Ellsbury.
Let us go back to 2018. In January, New York Yankees minor league infielder Thairo Estrada was during an attempted robbery in Venezuela. Although doctors were unable to remove the bullet, Estrada was cleared to resume baseball activities, and eventually found his way back on the diamond by the end of the season, making 18 appearances in total.
In Spring Training that same year. Oft injured Jacoby Ellsbury was once again overcome with various maladies; this time, dealing with a sore back and an oblique strain. He ended up undergoing season ending hip surgery in August, never setting foot on the diamond that season.
In fact, it is questionable as to when Ellsbury will return to the diamond. He is once again on the 60 day Injured List, and without a timetable to return. He also suffered a setback in his attempt to rehab, pushing that nebulous timeframe back even further.
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Estrada, meanwhile, has come all the way back. After opening the year at AAA, he made his major league debut on Sunday, dropping down a sacrifice bunt to put the eventual game winning run in scoring position. He made his first career start on Tuesday, and was 2-4 with a walk and a strikeout.
It is not necessarily fair to compare one player to another in regards to their toughness. To be an asset as a professional athlete, one needs to be in as close to perfect shape as possible, at least in terms of health. In Ellsbury’s case, those various aches and pains keep pushing back when he will be able to return to the diamond.
Yet, when seeing a player like Estrada, who still has a bullet in his hip, fight and claw his way back to the lineup, it is enough to make one wonder. Ellsbury is still going to be paid, as he is receiving over $21 million through 2020. And the Yankees are recovering 75% of that salary as long as he stays on the Injured List, so they may not exactly be pushing him to return.
Nonetheless, at this point, Ellsbury should be collecting his paycheck with a ski mask and a gun. These constant setbacks have to get tiresome for the Yankees, especially as they watch a player with a bullet still in his hip playing second base. However, they are part of the package when it comes to Ellsbury.
In Thairo Estrada and Jacoby Ellsbury, the New York Yankees have two vastly different players when it comes to getting back on the field. Watching Estrada make his first career major league start on Tuesday just underscored that difference.