2 min read • September 19, 2022
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While MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge closes in on Roger Maris' long-held AL home run record, the division-leading Yankees are beginning to get whole once again.
Lefty reliever Aroldis Chapman, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, outfielder Harrison Bader, and No. 2 starting pitcher Luis Severino will all be back in the clubhouse by this Wednesday, when Severino will make his first start since suffering a Grade 1 shoulder strain on July 13.
Outfielders Matt Carpenter, Andrew Benintendi, and DJ LeMahieu will remain out potentially into the postseason, with Benintendi expected to be healthy by the ALCS and Carpenter closing in on a full recovery from an August 8 fractured foot.
First baseman Anthony Rizzo returned and hit his 31st home run on Sunday after missing much of the last six weeks with a back injury and severe headaches potentially stemming from an epidural injection.
Chapman lost his closer role to Clay Holmes while he was dealing with Achilles tendonitis over the summer and missed nearly a month with a leg infection from a tattoo-gone-bad.
Bader has missed several months with right foot plantar fasciitis and was brought over ahead of the trade deadline to give the Yankees much-needed outfield depth that will surely come in handy with Carpenter and Benintendi on the mend.
This is not to mention starting pitchers Nestor Cortes, who missed several weeks with a groin injury, and Frankie Montas, who missed his last start and reportedly may go to the IL with a shoulder issue.
Montas missed two starts in early July with shoulder inflammation and an MRI came back structurally clean. The 29-year-old has a 6.35 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 33 strikeouts, and six home runs allowed over 39.2 IP in his eight starts since he was traded to New York.
The Yankees, 88-58, are 27-35 since going a season-high 38 games above .500 on July 8, but have a combined record of 67-33 when Gerritt Cole, Jameson Taillon, Nestor Cortes, and Luis Severino start.
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