Sigh. Injury. Sigh. Tough news coming out of Yankee camp on Tuesday and it will certainly impact their bullpen. 33-year-old relief pitcher Zach Britton will undergo surgery to remove a bone chip from his elbow and will likely miss the first two to three months of the regular season. The Yankee pitcher will fly back to New York where he will have surgery in the coming days.
Britton went 1-2 with a 1.89 ERA and eight saves in 20 appearances during the shortened 2020 season. He is a treasured part of the bullpen and his presence will be sorely missed as the Yankees look to make a quick seize on the AL East in the early part of the 2021 season.
"I appreciate the support from everyone. We all have daily challenges we have to overcome in order to reach our goals," Britton tweeted. "Just have to keep pushing ahead! I will get this taken care of during the upcoming week and be back as soon as I can," as reported by ESPN.
Britton actually has not made a game appearance this spring and only discovered the injury after a bullpen session that left the Yankee pitcher sore. He was looking to make up for lost time as he suffered from a case of COVID-19 that set him back in January.
The Yankees added depth to the bullpen this offseason by picking up former teammate Darren O'Day, and former Met Justin Wilson. Perhaps the blow won't be as bad given these deals but still, Britton has been consistent and a great stand-in when Aroldis Chapman is not available.
Injuries are never welcome but perhaps this time, the timing is actually on point. Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela underwent surgery to remove a bone chip from his arm in December and after a couple months of rehab seems to be a full strength. We could see Britton in early June if all goes well and until then, the Yankee bullpen depth will have to get them through.
--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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