After belting two home runs in the Yankees 8-0 win against the Cleveland Indians on Friday, Outfielder Joey Gallo exited the game on Saturday after only one at bat and no signs of anything being wrong. This is not a good sign for the Yankees and their hottest hitter. Gallo has been fantastic since making a slight change in his batting stance, batting .348 (8-for-23) with six home runs in six games. Another scare for the Yankees and this time it's Pal Joey.
"Gallo was removed due to neck stiffness according to the Yankees, without further elaboration. He was replaced in left field by Tyler Wade to start the fourth inning," reported Pete Caldera of NJ.com. Defensively Gallo has been on point as well, giving the Yankees more leadership and advantage against base runners from left field. His most recent mechanical adjustment has given Gallo more power leading to his recent home run tear.
“Over the years, when I’m taking my best swing, I have a little more open stance and I’m getting into my back leg more,’’ Gallo said after the Yankees’ 8-0 blowout win over the Indians at the Stadium. “For a few weeks, I’ve been more flailing a little bit and I didn’t have much strength. I knew at some point I’d get going,” reported the New York Post.
Hopefully this is just a short term concern and Gallo is back in the lineup to take on Texas, his old team, next week. These games are all must win for the Yankees if they want to have any chance at a postseason in 2021 with Seattle, Boston and Toronto all vying for two AL Wild Card spots. According to SI.com, "Obviously, the performances of each team’s star players over the next two-and-a-half weeks will play significant roles in how the race shakes out. But role players will dictate who eventually emerges with the two playoff bids in hand."
Another day, another Yankee scare. This season has been filled with ups and downs and Gallo has been one of those cuspy players in the mix. When he's locked and loaded, he is a threat–making this set back even more damaging for the Yankees. Hopefully we will get better news but for now, the Yankees have to rebound again from players getting bitten by the 2021 IL.
--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Manging Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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