NEW YORK _ How many MVP candidates can a baseball team lose without tanking their season?
After yet another major loss to their lineup _ DJ LeMahieu sprained his thumb after an awkward swing in the team's 11-5 rout of the Red Sox _ the Yankees are testing the limits of their depth.
LeMahieu, who had so far succeeded his fourth-place AL MVP finish with a .411 batting average through the Yankees' first 20 games, was sent for an MRI following the injury. He's the third key injury, joining 2017 NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton and 2017 AL MVP runner-up Aaron Judge as top-of-the-lineup talents battling injuries. Though the team said his X-ray came back negative, he may head to the IL following upcoming MRI and CT scans.
From New York's perspective, there are numerous silver linings. The Yankees (14-6) are in first place, but they don't need to dominate when over half the league will play diluted October ball.
Second: the Yankees won't even have to wait for the playoffs to face mediocre teams.
They're only playing in baseball's AL and NL East divisions to reduce travel and opportunities for COVID exposure, which means lots of games against middling teams. The Orioles are currently in second place in the AL East despite gunning for last, and the Red Sox have given up 63 runs over their last six games.
Meanwhile, the NL East is loaded with flawed teams (Mets, Phillies, Nationals) a severely-injured team (Braves), and the Marlins, who have recovered from their coronavirus outbreak with a hot start.
Finally: there's plenty of offense to go around, even without arguably their three best hitters. Clint Frazier, a talented afterthought to the team's plans, performed an uncanny Judge impersonation, making diving catch to keep the Sox off the board in the first, followed by a booming three-run homer off Nathan Eovaldi to put the game out of reach. He went 3 for 3 on the night, driving in five runs.
Gary Sanchez, still on the interstate (.125 average) after struggling mightily through the early part of the season, also hit a big fly _ his third straight game going deep.
And, Gio Urshela is hitting .309/.357/.529 since cutting loose with last year's team, and that's before his two-run homer that gave the Yankees an early lead. Gleyber Torres, slumping almost as much as Sanchez, went 2 for 4. Even Tyler Wade, usually a back-of-the-bench utility man, used his speed to hustle out a double after replacing LeMahieu at second and in the leadoff spot.
If there's anything that could derail the Yankees, it might be their starting pitching, but James Paxton survived five innings, allowing two runs. The veteran lefty, usually one of the game's hardest-throwing starters, isn't firing mid-90s bullets like he once did, but he lasted five innings to earn his first win of the season, despite having trouble finishing off Sox batters.
The signs from Fox's lifeless CGI-fans filling the Judge's Chambers read: "Get Well Soon." Surely the team is hoping for a quick recovery from LeMahieu and their sidelined stars, but really, an Oct. 1 return will do.
