Yankees To Sit McCann For A Few Days To Rest Tweaked Left Knee
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Yankees are taking no chances.
Owners of a 5 1/2-game lead atop the AL East with second-place Toronto coming into the Bronx for a weekend showdown, the Yankees will rest banged-up catcher Brian McCann for a few days, the team announced Wednesday.
McCann, who is hitting .255 with 18 home runs and 65 RBIs, suffered an inflamed MCL in his left knee during Tuesday night's 13-3 victory over the Red Sox. The veteran backstop winced after blocking a pitch in the dirt from reliever Dellin Betances in the seventh inning and hobbled around.
"When I pushed off, the inside of my knee kind of stretched a little bit. I'm just hoping I wake up (Wednesday) and it's not stiff," McCann said after the game. "My adrenaline was going so I couldn't really feel anything. I just got checked out. Things are all right."
After convincing the trainers and manager Joe Girardi that he was fine, McCann went on to blast a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning that put the game away.
Still, the Yankees are in a position right now where they have enough of a cushion that they can rest key players. McCann is not expected to swing a bat Wednesday or Thursday and will only play in an emergency situation, Girardi told reporters.
With McCann sidelined, expect rookie John Ryan Murphy to catch the major league debut of highly touted right-hander Luis Severino.
Murphy is hitting .286 with one homer and 10 RBIs in 41 games this season.
JONES REJOINS YANKEES
Garrett Jones, who was designated for assignment late last week, passed through waivers and then chose free agency, only to re-sign with the Yankees.
The 34-year-old Jones, who has played first base and in the outfield this season, is batting .215 with five home runs and 17 RBIs in 57 games.
In other moves made Wednesday, the Bombers designated right-hander Danny Burawa for assignment and optioned right-hander Caleb Cotham to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
