The Yankees get a significant but good news update on third baseman Ryan McMahon. Yankees beat writer Greg Joyce of the New York Post uploaded a tweet earlier stating that, “Ryan McMahon will be activated from the IL next week in time for Friday’s game”, stated Joyce late this morning. McMahon was originally placed on the 10-day IL three days ago due to a throat infection, which was stated as “peritonsillar abscess”, according to McMahon.
As a corresponding move, the Yankees had called up utility player Oswaldo Cabrera from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. McMahon told reporters he had the “abscess removed and couldn’t participate in baseball activities for 72 hours, which led to the IL stint”, stated McMahon. The Yankees will return home on Monday to face the Detroit Tigers. McMahon’s 10-day injured list stint will end on July 3rd, which is when the Yankees will wrap up their homestand against the Minnesota Twins. The Yankees certainly miss and could use McMahon’s defense at third base.
Yankees Defense Struggling Lately
Yankees third baseman Amed Rosario, who is often the platoon player due to his strong numbers against left-handed pitching, made a costly error in Thursday night’s game, which contributed to four unearned runs coming to score for the Red Sox in the fifth inning after the Yankees were originally winning 2-0. The Yankees ended up losing 6-3, committing a season-high 4 errors. The Yankees have certainly been hit with the injury bug lately.
Trent Grisham is also working his way back from injury, but this one is hamstring-related. The Yankees still don’t have Judge or Stanton, and as they’ve lost six of their last nine games, they are trying to hold onto an AL East lead of only one game over the place. McMled this year at the plate for the Yankees, posting a .629 OPS in 186 plate appearances, but his defense is still elite.
McMahon Is Still An Elite Defender
According to Baseball Savant, McMahon ranks in the 87th percentile for OAA, outs above average, for big league third basemen. This still places him among the best defensive third basemen in baseball, which makes up for his lack of offense to a degree. In the meantime, the Yankees will take this good news with McMahon, and likely view it as a step in the right direction as they look to get some key players back and get more healthy. The Yankees are certainly looking to get healthier on the field as they try to snap this ten-game skid.
McMahon has faced significant criticism this year because of his offensive struggles. Still, with the Yankees’ recent defensive alignment struggles, fans and personnel are starting to realize the value McMahon has on this team from a defensive standpoint, and why, at the moment, he’s sorely missed on this team. The Yankees, in the meantime, will look to try to salvage the remaining two games in Boston this weekend as they try to avoid a series loss and a potential sweep by a last-place Red Sox team that has one of the worst lineups in baseball and a quite disastrous season.
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