New York Yankees place Aroldis Chapman on 10-day DL
Aroldis Chapman hasn't looked himself recently, and the New York Yankees may have found out why. They placed their closer on the 10-day DL with a shoulder injury.
The New York Yankees have placed closer Aroldis Chapman on the 10-day disabled list with left shoulder rotator cuff inflammation, retroactive to Saturday. The team announced that right-hander Chad Green will be recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take the open roster space.
General manager Brian Cashman expects Chapman to be out about a month, according to Mike Mazzeo of the New York Daily News.
While there had been no definitive indication Chapman was dealing with a physical issue, news of the injury doesn't come as a total shock. After dominating his way through his first 12 outings of the season, the hard-throwing reliever uncharacteristically stumbled in his most recent two appearances.
Through May 5, Chapman had allowed just one run on six hits in 11.1 innings. He walked four and struck out 18 over that span while converting all seven of his save opportunities. Typical Chapman.
The Yankees entered the bottom of the ninth inning of last Sunday's now-famous tilt with the Cubs holding a 4-1 lead. Game over, right? Not exactly. Chapman recorded just two outs on 36 pitches, surrendering three runs on three hits and two walks. It was his first blown save of the year, and the Yanks would of course need 18 innings to finally subdue the defending champs.
Chapman was called upon in the ninth inning of Friday night's contest against the Astros, not for a save situation but to get some work. He again lasted only two-thirds of an inning, letting up a run on three hits. Two ugly outings in a row from a pitcher we're so used to seeing tear through opposing lineups was definitely eyebrow-raising.
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It appears the Yankees now have an answer as to what may have been causing Chapman's recent struggles. While that's somewhat reassuring in itself, as opposed to an inexplicable loss of effectiveness, the left-hander will still be out of commission for several weeks.
Chapman looked visibly uncomfortable at times as he labored through his poor outings. You can add his April 26 appearance against the Red Sox as well, when he surrendered his first run of the season and tossed 33 pitches before nailing down the save in an anxious 3-1 victory.
That could have been out of frustration, but it wouldn't be a surprise if he hasn't been feeling right for a few weeks now.
While a talent like Chapman is a significant loss in any circumstance, the Yankees are better-suited than most teams to handle his absence. Their bullpen currently ranks fourth in baseball with a 2.50 ERA. Dellin Betances will step in as closer, and though he faltered in that role at times last year after the Yanks traded Chapman and Andrew Miller, he owns a stellar 0.77 ERA and 17.0 K/9 rate on the young season. His early 6.9 BB/9 is somewhat concerning, though.
The Yankees' pen hasn't been a two-man show either. They have received excellent performances from Adam Warren (0.47 ERA), Tyler Clippard (1.17 ERA) and Jonathan Holder (1.84) in the season's first month and a half. Lefty Chasen Shreve has also looked good in 7.1 innings around a brief minor league stint last month.
The Yankees have the relief depth to survive without Chapman, even for a month, but they'll hope to have their closer back around that time without any setbacks.
