LAKELAND, Fla. — Add Harrison Bader to the growing list of Yankees who likely will not be ready to break camp with the team.
Bader has a left oblique strain, and though the Yankees said they would not have a timeframe for the injury until Saturday, manager Aaron Boone indicated Friday it’s fair to say the center fielder’s availability to open the season is in jeopardy.
Even the mildest of oblique strains typically will sideline players for multiple weeks, if not longer, and Opening Day is fewer than three weeks away.
“It’ll be some time,” Boone said before the Yankees beat the Tigers 4-3 at Joker Marchant Stadium.
The center fielder suffered the injury on a swing in his final at-bat of Wednesday’s game against the Cardinals and then went for an MRI exam on Thursday.
The Yankees were still having doctors weigh in on the imaging as of Friday afternoon.
Harrison Bader Getty ImagesThe Bader news came a day after general manager Brian Cashman announced that pitchers Carlos Rodon (mild forearm muscle strain), Tommy Kahnle (biceps tendinitis) and Lou Trivino (elbow ligament sprain) would all open the season on the injured list.
The Yankees’ position players had stayed largely healthy in camp before this, but now they will have to fill the void left by Bader.
Replacing the Gold Glover, who hit five home runs during the playoffs last October, won’t be easy.
“[Bader] is one of game’s great defenders out in center field,” Boone said. “Obviously he brings an athleticism on the offensive side. We all saw what he did in the postseason with the bat. He’s a big part of our team. Even though this may delay that a little bit, he’s still going to be a huge part of the team this year on a long-term basis. We’re confident of that, too.”
Among the potential candidates to fill in for Bader in center field are Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Rafael Ortega and Estevan Florial.
Judge started the most games (74) there last season.
Moving him back would create an opening in right field, however, and the Yankees have been hesitant in the past to play him regularly in center because of increased injury risk.
“He could be [a candidate], depending on how long it is, and maybe not even how long it is,” Boone said. “But if it makes the most sense to move him over there on a short-term basis, I would say that’s at least possible.”
Hicks is also competing with Oswaldo Cabrera and others for the left-field job after he moved there last season from center.
Boone said Hicks handled center field “OK” last year.
“I thought he did really well in left for us,” Boone said. “But he’s been a center fielder most of his career and certainly capable of that.”
Ortega, meanwhile, is a non-roster invitee who has played all three outfield positions this spring.
Bader injured himself in his final at-bat against the Cardinals on Wednesday. APThe left-handed hitter, who posted a 121 OPS-plus with the Cubs in 2021, has caught the Yankees’ attention with a strong start to camp.
“He’s one of the guys that’s stood out to me, the bat, especially against right-handed pitching,” Boone said. “Even before Harrison’s injury, he’s very much in the mix of things and what we think he can provide us from an outfield versatility, but also what he can provide against right-handed pitching.”
Florial, who is out of minor league options, might be the most natural center fielder of the group, but the former top prospect has struggled at the plate in limited action with the Yankees.
The Yankees will know by Saturday how long Bader will be out. Boone said the Bronxville product was taking the injury in stride.
“He’s got a great mindset about it,” Boone said. “Is what it is. Get my butt ready and get back and do all I need to do to get back. He’s in a really good frame of mind. That’s just who he is. He deals with everything really well.”
