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MIAMI — As the Yankees left spring training on Tuesday night, some of their walking wounded came with them while others who are closer to returning stayed back in Tampa.
The numbers are not pretty. The Yankees are expected to start the season with 11 players on the injured list, and that does not include Tyler Matzek, who is not yet on the 40-man roster.
Here’s a look at where some of the key injured players stand on the eve of Opening Day:
DJ LeMahieu
The veteran third baseman, who strained his calf in his second at-bat of the spring on March 1, has been ramping up his baseball activities in recent days, including hitting.
He flew to New York with the team on Tuesday night but he may not be there for long, as he could soon return to Tampa to get live at-bats and/or then go out on a rehab assignment.
“I would say Monday is kind of like the first week of spring training kind of thing,” LeMahieu said Saturday. “And then just see where we’re at after that.”
If LeMahieu needs the equivalent of a full spring training, that would put his projected return some time in May if he stays healthy.
Giancarlo Stanton
The veteran DH, dealing with tendinitis in both elbows, is just over three weeks removed from his third round of PRP injections.
Indications are the shots have helped to an extent, but have not been a cure-all, as Stanton has not resumed baseball activities and remains out indefinitely.
He was headed back to New York with the team on Tuesday and will continue his treatment there.
Tyler Matzek
Early in camp, the lefty reliever looked close to a sure thing to make the team as a non-roster invitee. But then he strained his oblique in his first outing on Feb. 25, throwing him off course.
Matzek threw his third bullpen session since then on Sunday, the first “true, heavy” one, he said. The plan was to throw one more bullpen and then advance to facing hitters after that.
“Hopefully it’s not too crazy long [of a] buildup, and I don’t expect it to be,” Matzek said Sunday.
If everything goes well, it’s possible Matzek could join the Yankees in mid-to-late April.
The way Yankees officials have talked about the veteran, it just seems like a matter of being healthy before he is added to the roster.
“It was looking that way, it was trending that way, I was pleased to hear that,” Matzek said. “But now I gotta go back out there and show I’m the same guy that I was a month ago.”
Clarke Schmidt
The right-hander was scheduled to pitch in a minor league game back in Tampa on Tuesday, where he was expected to build his pitch count up to around 40.
After being slowed by a back issue and shoulder fatigue in camp, it’s just a matter of increasing his workload.
The Yankees are targeting the 70-pitch range before activating Schmidt, which could happen by mid-April.
Ian Hamilton
Like Schmidt, Hamilton is healthy but just building up his stamina after being sidetracked by an infection during camp.
He pitched in two Grapefruit League games, and while the Yankees think he could probably be ready by Opening Day, they do not want to rush him since he has yet to do something like pitch on back-to-back days.
Scott Effross
After straining his hamstring on his first pitch of a Feb. 25 game, Effross threw his third bullpen session on Friday and expected to face hitters soon.
Clayton Beeter
The starter-turned-reliever was slowed in the offseason by a shoulder issue and had only advanced as far as throwing bullpen sessions during camp.
General manager Brian Cashman acknowledged over the weekend, “I think it’s going to be a while” before Beeter is available.
