The Yankees lose Curtis Granderson to the disabled list once again after their star outfielder was hit by a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night. In the fifth inning of the game, Granderson took a fastball from Rays’ reliever Cesar Ramos on the left-hand before being replaced by Ichiro Suzuki.
He didn’t immediately come out of the game, as he ran the bases before manager Joe Girardi pulled him going into the next half-inning. Another exam revealed that Granderson had a broken knuckle on his left pinky-finger, sending him to the disabled list for the second time this season.
Granderson missed the start of the season after fracturing his right forearm when a pitch by J.A. Happ hit him in spring training. He return to the team on May 15th, but only appeared in eight games before his second setback on Friday.
During his short time back in the Bronx, the 32-year-old hit .250 with one home run and five RBIs. Now the Yankees lose Curtis Granderson once again, and he is expected to miss a few more weeks before he has a go at another return.
The Yankees called up Brennan Boesch from Triple-A after placing Granderson on the disabled list. Boesch appeared in 21 games for the Yankees to start this season before being sent down to the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
In his 21 games in New York, Boesch hit .227 with two home runs and six RBIs. The 28-year-old struggled during his stint in the minor leagues, as he hit a baffling .179 in seven games with just two RBIs.
Curtis Granderson’s injury comes as teammate’s Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis prepare to return to the big leagues. Teixeira was also hurt in spring training and has yet to see the field this season though he plans on rehabbing in the minors this coming week .
As the Yankees lose Curtis Granderson for the second time this year, can they hold on to first place in the AL East with the Boston Red Sox right on their heels?
[Image via Keith Allison ]