Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Hopeful Zack Britton's Return to the Injured List Won't Last Long

New York Yankees place reliever Zack Britton on the injured list with a hamstring strain. Reliever Wandy Peralta is also headed to the IL with a back strain

Max Goodman

Zack Britton is headed back to the injured list. 

The Yankees reliever exited Friday night's game with a hamstring injury, possibly a reaggravation of the strain that resulted in a stint on the IL last summer. 

While Britton is "doing pretty well," according to manager Aaron Boone, the discomfort still warranted a trip to the injured list.

"Based on what we initially saw last night, I feel like the news was better than we thought," Boone said on Saturday afternoon. "We just thought with him, especially with him coming back [from elbow surgery], obviously not something we want to push through and risk something else popping up."

New York also placed reliever Wandy Peralta on the injured list Saturday. The left-hander has been managing a "back issue" for the last several days, per Boone, allowing the team to backdate his timeline on the injured list.

In place of Britton and Peralta, the Yankees have called up right-handers Albert Abreu and Brooks Kriske from Triple-A Scranton/Wiles-Barre.

After he delivered the 11th pitch of his outing in the eighth inning on Friday night, Britton hobbled off the mound, limping straight to the dugout and down into the tunnel. He grabbed toward the back of his left leg after missing badly on a slider.

It was just his fifth appearance of the season. Left elbow surgery—done back in March—kept him on the 60-day injured list until earlier this month. 

The skipper added that he feels encouraged about where Britton is at one day later, eager to get his setup man back in the 'pen.

"I think we erred on the side of caution here," he said. "We know what Britt means to our bullpen and the back end of that bullpen. So not the best thing, but hopefully something that's a short stint for him."

New York has some reinforcements on the way in the bullpen as well. Relievers Darren O'Day and Justin Wilson are wrapping up their rehab assignments in Triple-A and could rejoin the team during the homestand, beginning on Monday against the Angels. 

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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.

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