The Yankees’ depth at the catcher position just got a little thinner.
The Bombers, just days removed from losing Zack Britton to elbow surgery to remove a bone chip, announced Thursday that Robinson Chirinos suffered a fractured wrist in Wednesday night’s spring training game, and wrist and hand specialists will be consulted in the coming days to determine the next steps for the 36-year-old veteran.
Chirinos signed a minor league deal with the Yankees last month, but was hit by a pitch Wednesday night in the eighth inning of New York’s game against the Pirates. He was seen as the team’s third-string catcher, similar to Erik Kratz’s role last season, but this injury now cements Kyle Higashioka as the certain backup to Gary Sanchez.
Chirinos carried previous history catching Gerrit Cole from their days in Houston, but the ability for the battery to reunite is now in jeopardy.