Aroldis Chapman’s latest trip to the tattoo parlor ultimately led to the Yankees losing the hard-throwing southpaw for a few weeks.
Chapman on Saturday was placed on the 15-day day injured list due to an infection he sustained as a result of a tattoo he recently acquired. The seven-time All-Star, who claims he’s been inked during the season in the past, won’t be eligible to return to the mound for New York until Sept. 8.
The tattoo-related infection can be tabbed as a freak accident to an extent. Nonetheless, Stephen A. Smith has absolutely no sympathy for the Yankees relief pitcher.
“I don’t need to know what the tattoo is,” Smith said Monday on ESPN’s “First Take.” “What I need to know is why the hell are you getting a tattoo that could potentially affect your leg during the damn baseball season? You got six months off during the year. What the hell are you doing it during the season for? Don’t you got better things to do like work on your fastball, work on your slider? Don’t you have better things to do than get a damn tattoo? It’s bad enough we got cats getting paid nine figures sitting out in the outfield eating pumpkin seeds waiting for the ball to come in their direction. You a damn pitcher and you’re gonna go and get a tattoo during the season? See, this is why the Yankees ain’t going to win. It’s because of stupidness like this.”
While Aaron Boone surely can’t be happy with Chapman temporarily sitting on the shelf, the Yankees manager definitely is approaching the ordeal with a more level head than Smith. Boone simply chalked it up as an “unfortunate situation.”
