The Yankees announced that they have placed catcher Jose Trevino on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to July 18, due to a right wrist tear. Fellow catcher Ben Rortvedt has been recalled in a corresponding move. Trevino tells Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (Twitter links) that he’s done for the season and will require surgery. He’s apparently had the issue since Spring Training and has been trying to fight through it. He expects to be ready for next year’s Spring Training, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Hoch also relays that the specific nature of the injury is a torn triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) ligament.
Trevino, 30, is having a poor season offensively, with the wrist issue perhaps explaining why. He hit .248/.283/.388 last year but has dipped to a line of .210/.257/.312 here in 2023, that latter line amounting to a wRC+ of 58. In terms of his glovework, he’s not on pace to match last year’s elite 21 Defensive Runs Saved, but he still has 6 DRS this year, putting him in the top 10 among all catchers in the league. Both FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus give him strong marks for his framing, while Statcast considers him an above-average strong blocker.
Trevino may not be a star player but he’s a solid defensive option and was decent at the plate last year. Frustrating injury absences have been a key storyline for the Yanks this year. The most prominent example is Aaron Judge but they’ve also seen Harrison Bader, Carlos Rodón, Frankie Montas, Nestor Cortes, Josh Donaldson and many others miss time. That’s part of the reason why the club is having a disappointing summer, having slipped to 50-47 and four games back of a playoff spot.
The club may now have to make some difficult decisions about how aggressively to approach the deadline, which is on August 1. FanGraphs currently pegs their playoff odds at 28.3%, certainly not a hopeless situation but definitely a challenging one. Catching upgrades are generally tricky during a season, as a new backstop would have to learn the entire pitching staff on the fly. But if the Yanks want to add for a postseason push, it might be something to look into. They might have some competition within the division, as the Rays lost Francisco Mejía to a knee sprain earlier today.
For now, the Yanks will proceed with Rortvedt and Kyle Higashioka, the only two other backstops on the 40-man roster. Rortvedt has dealt with his own injury issues in recent years, getting into just 48 minor league games last year and then 38 contests so far this year between the majors and minors.
In terms of non-roster depth, the club has promoted Austin Wells to Triple-A, per Conor Foley of the Scranton Times-Tribune. Wells was the Yankees’ first-round draft pick from 2020 and was recently ranked their #3 prospect by Baseball America. He had been hitting .237/.327/.443 in Double-A prior to the promotion.
That’s not good.
Wondering if it’s a TFCC tear. It can heal on its own but my surgery has me in a full arm cast up to the pit for six weeks. That was in 2006 but I think surgery is the same today.
I had TFCC repair surgery 3 years ago and I’m still in pain. My forearm & wrist were wrapped in an ace bandage until it fell off 3 days post op. I wonder if not getting a post op cast which would’ve given my wrist more time to heal is why I’m still in pain 3 years post op. I’m on my 4th wrist surgeon and waiting for another MRI. I hope Trevino has a better outcome than I did.
Tucker Barnhart can be flown to your doorstep, in a NY minute.
Cubs will be happy to accept a broken bat in return.
We have many broken bats, Dogbone. 🙂
With Trevino and Mejia going down, there may now miraculously a market for Barnhart. I’d love to see the Cubs trade him because Amaya needs more AB’s and reps
Mets might make Nido available for the right price.
Stanguy, one fun story. Years later, the suture site was tender and my dog was licking it. I told my wife this and she literally said don’t expect me to do that…
Yeah if it’s TFCC he will never be the same again. It’s a good thing he gets paid for his defense and how he handles the staff. Wells should be taking over the starting role sometime next year and Trevino will be a great back up for years to come. If Rortvedt can manage to stay healthy he would be a good trade chip.
Yup, it’s definitely looking like a good time to become sellers now.
Captain-Judge,
The issue I see with the Yankees is that they don’t have much to sell. Maybe some relievers or Bader, but not much beyond that.
@okbud- I will give you a few players to sell with. Gleyber, German(pitched a perfect game), Severino, Marinaccio, Wandy, and maybe even Schmidt. Why not sell? Season seems over know.
Captain,
I forgot about Gleyber. Considering he’s on a career low strikeout rate, he could be an intriguing piece for the right buyer. Two years of team control as well, intriguing piece indeed.
I’d have a hard time seeing Severino get traded unless another team sees something that is relatively easy to correct. German would certainly be more sought after and would probably net a higher return. Same for Peralta.
Marinacchio and Schmidt I could see benefits to either retaining or trading, depends what you could get for em.
Why would anyone want to buy Severino? The others, maybe.
If there is something easy to adjust mechanically or something along those lines then it’d be a decent buy low pickup.
Cashman has an entire roster with injury issues and gets an extension. That should tell you all you need to know about the owner. And if you’re still attending and watching games, well then you’re even more of a problem than Hal.
Cashman’s Yankees have the most wins in MLB since he has been the GM. Since 2000 they are 67 games ahead of the next club (the Dodgers) and 125 games ahead of the rival Red Sox. I’m not sure how you decide success if it isn’t wins, but don’t watch. I’m sure the Yankees will file for bankruptcy because you became a Brewers or Rockies fan.
since opening day 2015 they are 3rd, and well behind Dodgers & Astros. They’ve lost a LOT of ground, therefore.
@stros
Lol but 3rd ain’t too bad. I think looking at overall wins to discredit Cashman is the worst philosophy.
He hasn’t built a serious championship team in a long time. He’s behind the 8 ball.
The Astros cheated, so their wins don’t count. Starting at the point in 2015 when the Yankees aren’t in first is an arbitrary starting point, but the point stands that the Yankees win more games than most teams, and during Cashman’s tenure, more than any team in baseball. Crying about not winning championships is just being a spoiled baby. Having a winning record for 30 plus years in a row has created a bunch of spoiled rotten Yankee fans that think they deserve to win every year. Being competitive for 30 straight years is not only good, it’s unprecedented. Having one season where injuries catch up to you doesn’t mean the GM should be fired. Winning the World Series is hard. That’s why the Astros cheated. Yankee fans acting like they are the Seattle Mariners because they are only five games over .500 is just babies crying.
I think Trevino is better off being a second catcher, not primary. tear. Rortvedt has a near .400 OBP and a .500 SLG in AAA and is a lefty. Let’s give him a look. He’s a good pitch framer.
MRI confirmed that his wrist is made out of Aaron Judge’s toe.
lol
As long as it’s not with Stanton hamstrings, I’m good with that.
When a man’s Ben Rortvedt, that’s German for he ain’t ever coming back.
I’ll believe it when I see it.
His .570 OPS probably also tore his ego.
Seems like a strange coincidence this happens at the same time they are looking for a catcher at the deadline.
Contreras is for sale
Say it louder!
Strange coincidence? Did you read the article? He’s had the condition since spring training.
Trevino is a terrific catcher. This will hurt the Yankees pitching staff.
You all have a big fat catcher on his way to Yankee stadium to audition. Any combination of Frazier/Andujar/Sanchez should get a trade done with KC for Perez.
This isn’t 2018 buddy
Might as well shut down anyone that might need even a small procedure. Get your core guys healthy and fresh for 2024, ride out 2023 with subs.
I’m sure they can find something wrong with DJ and Rizzo. No need to look on Stanton. That’ll happen soon enough.
Better hope he doesn’t hit anything into the gaps.
Too easy. Stanton will have a calf issue, and Rizzo will have back spasms.
Always appreciate the fan that waves the white flag in July to “get guys healthy for next year”. These are grown men that do this for a living, go out and do your job regardless if you can win it all or not. I’m not saying hurt yourself playing but just giving up is a childish idea
Normally I’d agree, but good grief the level of play lately is beyond atrocious. The sweep from the Angels might as well have been a white flag.
Join the long list.
He is their best hitter!
He’s apparently had the issue since Spring Training and has been trying to fight through it.
Wow.
Seems like a long shot, but I wonder if the Yanks will try IKF at catcher again, a true super utility player
He’s going to make Gary Sanchez look like Pudge.
Andrew Knizner is available!
Can you send back Jordan Montgomery with him?
I’ll do you one better; we’ll thrown in Willson Contreras too! You need some offense and he’ll provide that.
Giants could send them Joey Bart for something relatively mid tier.
I had the same thought. Apparently, Bart has been hitting well in AAA lately…
On the bright side at least this should prevent Cashman from doing something stupid like an Ohtani trade or picking up one of the Cardinals’ busted prospect outfielders.
A short list of OFs the Cardinals drafted and discarded for limited return in just the last five years: Adolis Gardia, Tommy Pham, Randy Arozarena, Lane Thomas….
Teams should be lining up to take the ‘busted’ guys Stl doesn’t want.
Yeah I would think teams see Mozeliaks number and jump out of their seats before trying to play it cool.
Yeah truthfully Brendan Donovan or Dylan Carlson ain’t cutting it for me, especially if the Yankees got to trade Clarke Schmidt. The Yankees would be wise to pass. Cody Bellinger seems like a good fit if the price is right only.
Last time the Yanks were making consecutive WS appearances, pops was on the roster. Cody`s clearly the missing piece to jumpstarting that next wave of pinstripe dominance in October.
Seeing a dugout shot of him a few nights ago with a brace covering his thumb made it clear that he’s hurt and has been playing hurt for a while.
If it was a leg injury they could blame Nestor Cortes
Martin Maldonado is available, go get him!
Will Elias Diaz be on the move from the Rockies? Decent bat and a throw out of 29%.
Hopefully the new catcher can show he can be the primary catcher next year until Wells is ready. Trevino injury hurts because he could have been dealt for a low level prospect
The Yankees have so many injured players that Manfred wants to charge them a “restocking” fee.
One of the worst All-star selections in recent memory
Wasn’t he a platinum glove winner in his all star year?
Yes he was.
Try to get Tom Murphy from Seattle, won’t cost much and won’t block Wells development since he’s a rental.
the silver lining is his baseline is likely closer to 2022 than 2023. pitchers love pitching to him and teammates love playing with him. he would be the perfect 9 hitter if the yankees had a competently constructed roster
Let’s face it we’re not contending this year. The last wild card spot? Maybe but so what?
You must be a special kind of stupid. You’re forgetting that Cashman is the longest tenured GM so your comparisons are unfair.
We don’t equate success with wins because in sports, not sure what world you reside in, but success in sports means championships. What good are wins if you lose the whole thing? How many times has Jerry Jones’ cowboys had winning seasons yet stunk it up in the playoffs?
Who cares if you win 110 games in the regular season if you get swept in the alcs?
As for not watching, you clearly use sports as a mechanism to create value in your life as you can’t refuse to buy a broken product. Instead you tell yourself lies about wins and loses to justify your inability to be nonagreeable. You must be one of those modern day beta males who can’t say no.
willson contreras is available, how about Fitts for contreras?
Boy that Eric Cresse has done a great job keeping the Yankees healthy
Call Wells up. It’s early, but he is a sink or swim prospect.
If Steinbrenner wants to cut payroll then start a complete youth movement. Peraza second base, Sweeny at Third, Pereira at Left, Dominez CF, Volpe SS, Catcher Wells and Rortvert. That leaves Judge, Rizzo and Stanton only because no one wants Stanton. Any big ticket free agents should be for pitching since Yankees can’t draft and develop pitchers.