Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Zack Britton Leaves Game With Hamstring Injury

New York Yankees reliever Zack Britton exited a loss to the Boston Red Sox with a left hamstring injury and could be headed back to the injured list

Max Goodman

Days after returning to the bullpen from left elbow surgery, Zack Britton could be headed back to the injured list once again.

During the eighth inning on Friday night, Britton limped off the mound, grimacing and grabbing toward his left leg after spiking a slider in the dirt to right fielder Hunter Renfroe.

The left-hander went straight from the mound to the dugout, exiting the game immediately after delivering only 11 pitches in his fifth outing of the season. He hobbled down the dugout steps before disappearing into the clubhouse. 

After the game—a 5-3 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park—Yankees manager Aaron Boone revealed that the injury was somewhere in Britton's left hamstring and the team will know more about the severity of it on Saturday.

As much as Boone considered the fact that this could've been a cramp for Britton, it's hard not to tie this injury to a left hamstring strain Britton sustained during last year's pandemic-shortened campaign. The veteran reliever ended up missing a handful of games in late-August with the injury, casting a shadow on a tremendous start to the season while filling in for Aroldis Chapman in the closer's role. 

This season has featured more time on the sidelines for the 33-year-old. Britton began the season on the 60-day injured list, working his way back from surgery to remove a bone chip from his left elbow.

Britton underwent the surgery in March, slowly ramping back up in rehab before debuting out of the 'pen on June 12. He missed the first 63 games of the year. 

"Hopefully it's nothing too serious," Boone said after the game. "Definitely feel for Britt in that spot knowing what he's been through to get back and I thought tonight he was probably throwing the ball as well as we've seen him."

While losing Britton would certainly be a blow to the bullpen—a unit that's been incredibly reliable for Boone in 2021—New York is days away from adding two reinforcements. Relievers Darren O'Day and Justin Wilson are both in the midst of their respective rehab assignments down in Triple-A.

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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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