UPDATE (8:15 p.m. ET): It appears the New York Yankees haven’t dodged a bullet in regards to Andrew Miller’s injury.
The reliever was struck on his non-throwing wrist by a line drive Wednesday, and a source told YES Network’s Jack Curry that a CT scan revealed a fracture.
Source: Andrew Miller's CT-scan revealed a chip fracture in right wrist. He will visit with a hand specialist to determine the next step.
— JackCurryYES (@JackCurryYES) March 31, 2016
Until Miller is examined by the hand specialist, the Yankees won't know if this injury will cause him to start the season on the DL.
— JackCurryYES (@JackCurryYES) March 31, 2016
UPDATE (5:55 p.m. ET): The Yankees received some good early news regarding Miller.
#Yankees announce the x-rays on Andrew Miller’s bruised right wrist were negative. He will also undergo a CT Scan.
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) March 30, 2016
ORIGINAL POST: The New York Yankees have a sick bullpen on paper. They just need everyone to stay on the field.
Andrew Miller was struck on the right (non-throwing) wrist by a line drive Wednesday during New York’s spring training game against the Atlanta Braves. The left-hander exited the contest and was sent back to Tampa for X-rays and a CT scan, according to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who initially described the injury as “a bruised right wrist.”
According to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, Miller immediately walked off the mound and threw his cap to the ground after being hit by Willians Astudillo’s line drive to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning. Miller was intercepted on his way back to the dugout by Yankees manager Joe Girardi and a trainer, according to Newsday’s Erik Boland.
It’s unclear if Miller will miss time, but the Yankees undoubtedly are holding their breath as the 30-year-old undergoes further evaluation. Miller was slated to be New York’s closer to open the season, as Aroldis Chapman, a four-time All-Star who was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds in December, will serve a 30-game suspension related to a domestic violence incident to begin the 2016 campaign.
The trio of Chapman, Miller and Dellin Betances was supposed to give the Yankees a dominant bullpen, which also suffered a blow Wednesday when swingman Bryan Mitchell sprained his left big toe covering first base. Mitchell is headed for an MRI exam, according to the New York Post.
Miller, who signed a four-year, $36 million contract with the Yankees before last season, was spectacular while serving as New York’s ninth-inning man in 2015. The hard-throwing southpaw racked up 36 saves and posted a 2.04 ERA, a 0.86 WHIP and 14.6 strikeouts per nine innings en route to winning the Mariano Rivera Award as the American League’s top closer.
Thumbnail photo via Reinhold Matay/USA TODAY Sports Images