With just a few weeks left in the regular season, the homestretch is upon us. This month, the Yankees have been playing some particularly great baseball going 15-6 up to this point. Guys like Stanton, Rizzo, and Gleyber Torres have played key roles this month in getting the Yankees back to the level they were playing at the beginning of the year.
Now, the team is slowly starting to get reinforcements and key contributors back in the swing of things. Recently, we’ve seen Bader, Effross, Britton, and others return from the IL.
If the Yankees are fully healthy heading into the postseason, that is a sight for sore eyes from the opposition’s perspective. All three aforementioned guys played pivotal roles in getting this team where they are, and if even one of them can replicate their early-year performances, that’ll be a huge spark for the squad. The Yankees have had a great month, and it looks like some guys could be coming back sooner than later.
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Matt Carpenter is doing everything he can to get back:
Matt Carpenter’s recent round of imagining was apparently positive, and recently Brian Cashman even hinted at a potential return for the final series of the season. Carpenter has been in a boot and has been getting tests done on his fractured foot, but the lefty slugger would undoubtedly find himself with big ABs, whether that be in a pinch-hitting role or starting role, come postseason.
Marp himself said that he is not done and that he will do everything in his power to get back and contribute in any way possible. Many viewed Carpenter as the Comeback Player of the Year, in part because of his amazing season but also because of the lengths that he took to get here.
DJ LeMahieu will likely not be 100% but could be nearing a return:
As for LeMahieu, he is getting ready to ramp up activities and see just how much his toe can handle. All the injury reports and updates on DJ suggest that he likely won’t be 100%, but also that if he were to truly want his toe to heal entirely, he’d likely have to be shut down for the remainder of the season.
DJ was remarkable for the Bombers, and his multi-position gold-glove caliber defense was something that Boone and co truly took advantage of. DJ has been out since September 5th, and whilst many injury reports believe it’ll be hard for him to get back on the field, this recent report suggests just a dab of positivity for the utility infielder.
Benintendi is set to have his stitches removed:
Andrew Benintendi was finally beginning to hit his stride and was doing so for a few weeks prior to breaking the hamate bone in his hand. Benintendi has said he likely won’t be back for the regular season for some time now, and it seems as though the road for him to make the postseason roster is one less traveled.
Benintendi is set to have his stitches removed later this week, so if he is able to ramp up some baseball activities, a postseason activation is still in the cards. However, it creates an even larger logjam in the outfield, and when fully healthy, this team will have to find a way to get the most competitive lineups out there every given day.
Competition is tight, and the Yankees continue to win and pull away from the division. The final series vs Boston put a cherry on top of what was a disappointing “rivalry season” as the Red Sox were eliminated from postseason contention. Hopefully, as the last few weeks progress, we will get a better understanding of what the October squad will look like as they push for their first title since 2009.
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