Miguel Andujar and Giancarlo Stanton have been suffering from shoulder issues, but Andujar's issue has his Yankees season sitting on the brink of a very early ending.
Andujar went back on the injured list Monday. The 24-year-old third baseman suffered a small labrum tear in his right shoulder diving back into third base March 31. The Yankees tried the conservative rehab route. Andujar missed 28 games, but he struggled upon returning.
So now the 24-year-old third baseman needs to make a decision over whether to undergo surgery.
"Basically, (a new) MRI was about identical, the small labrum tear still there, hasn't changed at all," Aaron Boone said Tuesday before the Yankees' game against Baltimore at the Stadium was postponed for the second straight night. "The rest of the shoulder is pretty good and stable.
"So I think over the next 24 hours, he's going to have those conversations with his family, with us, and figure out the best course of action, whether it's to go down the road of surgery or whether it's to continue to rehab. These will be the decisions made probably over the next 24 hours."
Asked if surgery would end Andujar's season, Boone said, "Yeah, probably." But the manager wouldn't say that he's already resigned to not having him the rest of the way.
"Not yet," Boone said. "Out of respect for Miggy, I just want him to really be able to work through this and talk to his family and people close to him and then I just want him to feel good about whatever decision he makes, because he'll be a big part of that decision, obviously."
Last season, Andujar hit .297 with a Yankees rookie-record 47 doubles, plus 27 homers and 92 RBIs. But the AL Rookie of the Year runner-up went 3-for-34 in nine games after returning on May 4. He mostly served as the DH because sure-handed Gio Urshela had taken over as the regular third baseman.
"Miggy's a really good player," Boone said. "Obviously, this year the struggles (have been there). I'm sure a lot of it was obviously related to the shoulder. Yeah, taking a good player out of the mix is a blow. We certainly feel like we can absorb it. Obviously, Gio's stepped up in a huge way for us. But to lose Miguel Andujar and his production would be a blow that we have to deal with."
Stanton went on the injured list April 1 with a left biceps strain. That cleared up later in the month, but by then he had developed a left shoulder strain. He received a cortisone shot and finally graduated to live at-bats at extended spring training these last two days in Tampa.
"Hopefully, he's moving to really start to get some at-bats and (we can) start thinking about getting him back," Boone said. "... He dealt with various degrees of a dead period or some soreness in there."
James Paxton went on the injured list May 4 with left knee inflammation. The lefty threw a bullpen session Tuesday while wearing a brace.
"I was very aware of that area," Paxton said. "I could feel a little bit of a stretch right there."
So he will see if there's pain Wednesday.
"Hopefully," Boone said, "we can progress from there and potentially have another side session Thursday."
