Friday started with bad injury news for the New York Yankees. It ended with the same.
An MRI revealed that reliever Dellin Betances has a spur causing inflammation in his right shoulder, general manager Brian Cashman said. The right-hander will receive a cortisone shot Saturday and will be shut down for three weeks, and Cashman said he’s at least six to seven weeks away from a big league return.
Betances went on the injured list last month with right shoulder inflammation after seeing decreases in his velocity during spring training. He reported not feeling right while pitching in a simulated game earlier this week, leading to Friday’s MRI.
“The strong belief is that it will resolve, but it’s a killer because we’re missing him,” Cashman told reporters Friday night.
Betances had a 2.70 ERA and struck out 115 over 66 2/3 innings last season while serving as the primary setup man for Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman.
Injuries have haunted New York this season. Earlier Friday, catcher Gary Sanchez (calf) became the 12th player on the team to land on the injured list.