When Aaron Boone first thought of his 2019 roster, he probably didn’t envision having a vast majority of that lineup sitting in the trainer’s room instead of in the dugout. Alas, New York has been decimated by injuries at a rate rarely seen before. Consider that Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge and Miguel Andujar have combined for 23 games (the third baseman returned over the weekend). Gary Sanchez missed 13 games. Aaron Hicks and Dellin Betances haven’t played at all. Luis Severino is out until the All-Star break, as is Didi Gregorius. James Paxton just went on the injured list, while CC Sabathia started the year there.
And Jacoby Ellsbury is on the 60-day IL – okay, so not every injury is surprising.
That means the Yankees have had to dig a little deep into the farm system to scrape across an impressive 19-14 start, considering all the injuries. While there are some usual names still playing, here are some of the lesser-known folks who currently occupy spots in the New York lineup:
Domingo German:
He was a known commodity to Yankee fans, but nothing in 2018 showed that he was going to become the ace of the staff. In 21 appearances (14 starts) last year he went 2-6 with an earned run average of 5.57, not exactly All-Star stuff. But everything has clicked this year and he’s been the rock of the rotation, going 6-1 with a 2.35 ERA, good for fourth in the American League. He’s striking out a batter an inning and has cut his home run rate by two-thirds. Not bad for a guy who was a throw-in as part of a deal with the Marlins in exchange for Martin Prado and David Phelps.
Mike Tauchman:
In an outfield that features Judge, Stanton, Hicks, Gardner and Clint Frazier, Tauchman wasn’t on anyone’s radar. The 28-year-old didn’t even debut in the majors until two years ago with the Rockies, where he collected 69 plate appearances over two years. Now he’s an everyday guy, at least until the stars get healthy. He has the fifth most at-bats on the team, hitting just .176 but with four home runs, the first of which came against the rival Red Sox on April 16.
Gio Urshela:
A bit of a journeyman, Urshela is on his third team in as many years, having played 19 games with the Blue Jays last year. The 27-year-old was traded to the Bronx for cash considerations, meaning the deal barely moved the needle in baseball circles. Alas, the 27-year-old is a key piece of the lineup right now, hitting .338 in 25 games with seven doubles and a home run. With Miguel Andujar back his playing time will likely be reduced, but if he keeps hitting over .330 he’ll force his way into the lineup at least somewhat consistently.
Thairo Estrada:
He hasn’t played in a few days, but the 23-year-old from Venezuela is still with the big club after being called up and inserted as a pinch-hitter on April 21. The infielder has six hits in 20 at-bats (all singles), and even played a little bit of outfield on the recent west coast trip. An international free agent signing in 2012, Estrada has been in the organization ever since.
Mike Ford:
The 26-year-old is an undrafted infielder from Princeton, who won both Player and Pitcher of the Year in the Ivy League in 2013. Signing with the Yankees out of college, he bounced around the minor leagues and earned a non-roster invite to spring training. Alas, because of injuries he was called up and made his debut on April 18 and has played in 10 games so far for New York. He’s hitting .179, hitting his first major league home run against the Angels on April 24.
