Yankees Are Fearing 'Massive' Injury Blow At Spring Training

The American League champion New York Yankees are looking to get back to the World Series in 2025, albeit with a different result. The Yankees lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games, then they lost Juan Soto to the Mets in free agency.

New York stayed aggressive in the offseason, adding a former NL MVP in Cody Bellinger as well as a top pitcher in Max Fried. 

The team is currently preparing for 2025 in spring training, but they're concerned about one of their top prospects heading into the new year.

Top pitching prospect Chase Hampton is dealing with a flexor strain for the second straight spring, and it appears that this year's injury could have long-lasting effects.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone noted that Hampton had "something going on with the UCL,” and that he's still taking tests in New York while the team heads to Florida.

“We’ll see what we have here, but having an uneven season last year with some injury, he’s pretty bummed about that.”

A serious UCL injury would likely mean season-ending Tommy John surgery, ending Hampton's momentum once again.

Hampton made it up to Double-A last season around July, but only made a handful of starts before a groin injury would ultimately end his year. He made 20 starts in the minors back in 2023, and the former Texas Tech Red Raider struck out 145 batters in just over 106 innings of work.

The Yankees appear to have their rotation set to begin the 2025 season, but the back order could see some shuffling early on. Clarke Schmidt is dealing with a small back issue that Boone doesn't see as a long-term problem, but Marcus Stroman has insisted that he intends to start.