Yankees Exhale After Jose Trevino Leaves Game With Injury Scare
OAKLAND — Jose Trevino hobbled up the line, hopping on his left foot to keep the weight off his right side.
The Yankees catcher was hit by a 94-mph fastball on his right foot in the top of the eighth of a 3-2 win over the Athletics.
After a lengthy visit from manager Aaron Boone and a member of New York's training staff, Trevino stayed in the game, squatting behind the plate in the bottom half of the frame. When backup backstop Kyle Higashioka jogged in from the bullpen to catch the bottom of the ninth, however, it was clear something was wrong.
Boone assuaged some concerns shortly after the final out, revealing that an X-ray on Trevino's right big toe came back negative.
"Hopefully it's just something that we can deal with. We'll see how he is tomorrow," Boone said. "Obviously you fear the worst when you see it. But good news on the X-ray front."
No further tests are currently scheduled for Trevino, per Boone.
"I popped out right away because he was hurting right away," Boone added. "He got through the inning catching and then he was pretty beat up. So I didn't want to push him. So we'll just see what we have moving forward."
New York can certainly exhale knowing Trevino doesn't have any broken bones. Not too long ago, the Yankees lost slugger Matt Carpenter to the injured list when the veteran fouled a pitch off the top of his left foot, sustaining a fracture.
READ: Matt Carpenter Hopes to Return This Season From Fractured Foot
Losing Trevino for any period of time would be even more of a blow for this club. The backstop has been a rock for New York behind the plate, earning a starter's slate of playing time despite entering the regular season in a platoon with Higashioka. The ex-Rangers catcher was acquired by New York in a trade with Texas late in spring training.
Not only did Trevino make the All-Star Game, hitting .271/.309/.429 in 92 games this year, but he's been the best defensive catcher in all of baseball. As of Friday night, Trevino leads all big-league backstops with 16 defensive runs saved (per FanGraphs) and 12 Catcher Framing Runs (per Statcast).
Boone added that the Yankees don't have any catchers on the taxi squad in Oakland. Therefore, if Trevino can't play going forward, infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa would be New York's backup after Higashioka. A teammate of Trevino's in Texas, Kiner-Falefa played catcher in the minors and during his first two seasons in the big leagues. He's only played shortstop for New York this year.
The Yankees have plenty of depth in Triple-A at catcher. Ben Rortvedt, who was acquired in the trade with the Twins that sent Kiner-Falefa and Josh Donaldson to the Bronx this spring, is healthy after a lengthy stint on the injured list. Veteran Rob Brantly had a cup of coffee in pinstripes earlier this year when Higashioka was placed on the COVID-19 injured list in May. Youngsters Josh Breaux and Max McDowell are also available. Breaux is New York's No. 22 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.
MORE:
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- JP Sears Excited to Face Former Team After 'Surprising' Trade
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