Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' James Paxton, Gleyber Torres Placed on Injured List

New York Yankees' stars Gleyber Torres and James Paxton have both been placed on the injured list with Grade 1 strains. Luis Avilan will also go on the IL

Max Goodman

NEW YORK — Both Yankees' shortstop Gleyber Torres and left-hander James Paxton are headed to the injured list, the team announced Friday evening.

Torres has Grade 1 strains in both his left hamstring and quad while Paxton will be sidelined with a Grade 1 strain in his left forearm flexor. 

In addition, left-handed reliever Luis Avilán is headed to the IL with left shoulder inflammation.

Paxton felt discomfort in his left forearm and elbow after tossing five innings on Thursday afternoon. Immediately following his start, Paxton was sent to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital for an MRI.

While forearm injuries often result in Tommy John surgery, MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported that the season-ending surgery is not recommended for the left-hander's injury as of now. Yankees' manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that the discomfort started during Paxton's final few pitches of his outing.

"For Pax right now, hoping for the best, that we get good news there and hopefully to work to continue to get him right," Boone said on Thursday.

As for Torres, the phenom has multiple muscle strains resulting in a trip to the injured list as well. 

New York's shortstop stumbled while running out a ground ball in the third inning on Thursday. Boone referenced a "quick movement" out of the box as the source of the sudden tightness in his hamstring, assuring it wasn't something that's bothered the 23-year-old prior to Thursday's incident. 

READ: Yankees' Gleyber Torres Exits Game Early With Tight Left Hamstring

Torres promptly was taken out of the game and sent for an MRI, which the Yankees revealed was done on Friday. Boone initially articulated that he did not expect Torres would need to be placed on the injured list, but the imaging revealed both Grade 1 strains. 

"When anyone goes down with something, I feel for the individual," Boone said. "We'll find a way to make do and it allows for another opportunity for someone to step up in their absence and that's what we need to do right now. Hoping the best it's not something serious, which I don't believe it is with Gleyber."

A Grade 1 hamstring strain, coming off an initial report of hamstring tightness, is the same diagnosis that slugger Giancarlo Stanton received two weekends ago. Stanton, who also has a spot on the IL, is expected to miss three-to-four weeks.

READ: Giancarlo Stanton Opens Up on Latest Injury: 'Words Can't Describe the Disappointment

Friday night's game at Citi Field against the Mets, as well as the rest of this weekend's three-game set, has been postponed as a result of two members of the Mets' organization testing positive for COVID-19.

Paxton, Torres and Avilán join a star-studded group on the injured list. In addition to Tommy Kahnle and Luis Severino—both out for the year with Tommy John surgery—Zack Britton (hamstring), Kyle Higashioka (oblique), Aaron Judge (calf), DJ LeMahieu (thumb) and Stanton (hamstring) are all presently on the club's injured list.

While Judge is expected to be available as soon as Saturday, and LeMahieu is aiming to speed up his recovery, New York is poised to be without a handful of indispensable assets for the next few weeks.

To keep up with all of Inside The Pinstripes’ coverage, click the "follow" button at the top right-hand corner of this page.

For more from Max Goodman, follow him on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. Follow ITP on Twitter @SI_Yankees and Facebook @SIYankees

Published
Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

Home/News