The New York Yankees will be without relievers Lou Trivino and Scott Effross to open the year.
Now, manager Aaron Boone all but made it official: Tommy Kahnle is in serious danger of starting the season on the injured list, too.
Fortunately, there is no current injury: it would be the result of an old physical ailment derailing his throwing program for a while and delaying it to the point that he may need more time.
“Tommy Kahnle is behind in his build-up this spring, per Aaron Boone. He may not be available for Opening Day. This is a result of the shoulder inflammation that ended Kahnle’s season last fall. He’s throwing bullpens, but won’t pitch in games until late this month, Boone said,” Yankees insider Max Goodman tweeted.
Tommy Kahnle is behind in his build-up this spring, per Aaron Boone. He may not be available for Opening Day.
This is a result of the shoulder inflammation that ended Kahnle’s season last fall. He’s throwing bullpens, but won’t pitch in games until late this month, Boone said.
— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) March 4, 2024
The shoulder is the single most important body part in the science of pitching.
It’s important for it to be 100 percent for a hurler to be effective.
Kahnle is finally over the hump after September’s shoulder injury, but it took him a while to be healthy and he is a bit behind.
There is still a good chance he makes his return at some point in April, the first month of the 2024 campaign, if all goes well.
He is throwing bullpens but needs to clear a few more hurdles before he is declared ready: live batting practice, then some rehab appearances.
He is not far off, though.
The Yankees need him, as free-agent losses (Wandy Peralta), trades (Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vazquez), and injuries (Effross and Trivino) have decimated their depth at the position.
They still have a solid group, but can’t afford to lose anybody else.
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