Despite what is an ever growing Injury List for New York, the Yankees don’t seem to be bothered by some big name absences just one bit.
If you’ve been worried about the New York Yankees, that is understandable. Their injured list is long enough and diverse enough to make its own starting lineup.
They put forth a starting lineup Sunday of the following; and stop me if you recognize half of them:
DJ LeMahieu – 2B
Luke Voit – 1B
Brett Gardner – CF
Gary Sanchez – C
Gleyber Torres – SS
Mike Tauchman – RF
Gio Urshela – 3B
Tyler Wade – LF
Domingo German – P
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Four of those players started on Opening Day and seven of them were on the roster.
Cause for concern is warranted with a lineup like this, but the Yankees have proven that the Injury List has had no effect on their production.
Sunday, they completed the three-game sweep of the Giants in an 11-5 rout. Saturday they won 6-4 and Friday they won 7-3.
They have won 12 of their last 15 games after coming off a four-game losing streak. So who has been contributing to their success?
Well, let’s start at the top with DJ LeMahieu.
By far the most pleasant surprise for the Yankees playing third, second and first base. He leads the team in batting average at .310 and is the perfect compliment up the middle with Torres.
Right behind LeMahieu, Voit has continued his power surge from last season into now. Voit has eight homeruns and a team-leading 25 RBI while slugging .538. This continued with a 3-hit performance in Sunday’s victory.
Most importantly, the pitching staff has held strong despite the absences of Dellin Betances and Luis Severino. They stand strong with a 3.90 ERA and a shut-the-door closer in Aroldis Chapman.
The winning helps, but the injury bug just won’t leave the Yankees alone. Even in Sunday’s game, more Yankees had to exit from their win over the Giants in LeMahieu and Urshella.
But it is a comfort knowing just how well the team can perform despite not having Aaron Judge, or Giancarlo Stanton, or Miguel Andujar….or Severino, Betances, Aaron Hicks…. Greg Bird, Troy Tulowit… okay you get the idea.