The Yankees, winners of 10 in a row, still have a load of key contributors waiting to make their return, but Zack Britton may not be one of them.
The lefty reliever was placed on the IL with an elbow sprain on Monday, and manager Aaron Boone told reporters that surgery is a possibility, including Tommy John, if upcoming consultations with other specialists recommend that route.
“He’s still kind of gathering opinions,” Boone said. “I don’t know what [surgery] exactly, I just know it’s possible. Some kind of surgery could be in play.”
Britton is now on his third IL stint after having surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow during spring training, then missed time with a hamstring strain. He had his best outing of the year on Thursday night.
Boone had more promising news when it came to Gio Urshela, who is still in a rehab assignment with Double-A Somerset, and if all goes well on Tuesday night, he could rejoin the team Thursday to start a crucial series with the A’s.
Urshela has been out for nearly a month with a hamstring strain.
“Probably, yeah,” Boone said about a Thursday return for Urshela. “If everything goes well [Tuesday], that would be the hope.”
Gleyber Torres is also in Somerset, currently taking batting practice and hasn’t yet begun a rehab assignment in his next step back from a thumb sprain, but that could happen after this weekend if he continues to trend in the right direction.
“He’s in Somerset ramping up his swing progressions and stuff,” Boone said. “I know he’ll be hitting on the field today, then later in the week hitting off some velocity, and then be in a position to consider rehab games at that point.”
Corey Kluber is in Somerset as well and will pitch Tuesday night, and if all goes well, the Yankees will make a decision on whether to send the veteran on another rehab start or bring him back up to rejoin the team for the first time since May.
“We’ll see,” Boone said. “I want to get through today and see where we’re at and see what’s the next best step for him and for us.”
With so many established starters making their way back, some might worry that the current harmony with baseball’s hottest team could be disrupted. But Boone doesn’t share those concerns.
“No, guys have trickled back in during this streak,” Boone said. “We’ve been playing well for well over a month now. People have come in and out, and the more good people we can get on deck and on board, we’ll take that.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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