Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez, the team's leading home run hitter with six, has been placed on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Thursday with a strained left calf, the team announced Friday.
New York on Thursday recalled catcher Kyle Higashioka from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, fueling speculation that Sanchez was headed to the IL.
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Sanchez, 26, hadn’t caught since Monday with what the Yankees have described as tightness in his lower legs. He was hit in the groin while catching Monday against the Astros, but said that had no relation to the tightness he felt.
Manager Aaron Boone said holding Sanchez out of Wednesday's series-ending game in Houston before an off-day Thursday was an effort to keep his catcher, who went on the injured list twice last season with groin issues, healthy early on in 2019.
“I want to make sure we’re being smart about this and making sure we’re doing all we can to keep him healthy,” Boone told reporters (via Newsday). “Obviously he’s so important to what we do, so just trying to be proactive with making sure this doesn’t become an issue.”
Sanchez, who is slashing .268/.333/.902, has 11 RBIs, second only to Luke Voit's 12 on the team.
“If we lose him for an extended period, that hurts a lot more, so you’ve got to, especially in the early stages of the season, you have to be smart with guys and do all we can to make sure we stay healthy,” Boone said.
Higashioka would become the team’s third catcher, as Austin Romine saw a lot of time during the series with the Astros.
The Yankees already have 11 players on the IL, with one, starting pitcher CC Sabathia, set to come off it this weekend.
The injury-riddled team is 5-7 and in second place in the AL East ahead of Friday's game against the White Sox that kicks off a three-game set in the Bronx.
Sanchez will be sidelined at least into next weekend, as New York is on a 10-game homestand that includes two games Tuesday and Wednesday against the World Series champion Red Sox.
