The old adage of it’s going to get worse before it gets better certainly applies to the New York Yankees injury situation. Five pitches into Friday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, catcher Francisco Cervelli was hit on the right hand with a foul tip off the bat of Blue Jays leadoff hitter Rajai Davis.
Cervelli left the game and was taken to the clubhouse for X-rays, which revealed a fracture. Cervelli will need surgery to repair the break, and he will miss a minimum of six weeks. To replace Cervelli, the Yankees will call up the prospect Austine Romine, who is hitting .341 this season for Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Cervelli was hitting .269 with an .877 on-base plus slugging percentage and seemed to stabilize what was perceived as a tenuous catching situation in the Bronx.
Later in the same game Yankee starter Ivan Nova complained of right elbow pain and was taken the game after allowing a base hit up the middle to Davis in the third inning. Nova is scheduled for an MRI. Pitching depth is not an area of strength for the Yankees. David Phelps could be moved from the bullpen to the rotation. Chien-Ming Wang has pitched 12 innings in the minor leagues and has an ERA of 0.75, but is not likely ready for a call to the major leagues.
Despite losing both Cervelli and Nova the Yankees went on to beat the Blue Jays 6-4. David Phelps struck out a career-high nine in four innings after relieving Nova, who left with right elbow pain, and Chris Stewart threw out two baserunners to quash potential rallies as an emergency fill-in for Cervelli after the catcher broke his right hand when he was hit by a foul ball.
“Guys keep stepping up, just like they did ,” Yankees skipper Joe Girardi said. “You just keep finding ways. That’s what you do.”
