Yankees Injury Update: Jacoby Ellsbury suffers setback, Greg Bird homers in rehab game

We’re roughly a quarter of the way through the season, and the Yankees have already dealt with their fair share of injuries. Granted, things could be worse. Several key players are close to returning from the disabled list, and only a few players have experienced any setbacks. Here’s the latest information available on some of the injured Yankees, as well as a few prospects.

Jacoby Ellsbury

Will we ever see Ellsbury in a Yankees uniform this season? He played in exactly six spring training games before suffering an oblique strain. While on the disabled list dealing with that, he experienced hip pain that required a cortisone shot. Then came the plantar fasciitis in his right heel. Just when you think there couldn’t possibly be anything else wrong with him, Aaron Boone revealed that Ellsbury has “a minor back injury.” He has had to stop all baseball activities once again.

Greg Bird

It sounds like Greg Bird will join the Yankees soon. Bird had a bone spur removed from his ankle prior to the start of the season. Originally expected to miss 6-8 weeks, he is still on track to return within that time frame. After a week’s worth of rehab games, he finally went deep last night:

Thunder manager Jay Bell said that Bird would play with the team today, but the Yankees haven’t made plans beyond that. Hopefully we’ll see him make his season debut sometime before June.

Tommy Kahnle & Adam Warren

The Yankees sure could use these two in the bullpen. Both Kahnle and Warren have been throwing in Tampa. Kahnle is said to be progressing faster than Warren, and could join the Yankees at the end of this road trip. Warren advanced from throwing on flat ground to throwing off a mound earlier in the week.

Billy McKinney

McKinney injured his shoulder when he crashed into the wall during the opening series against the Blue Jays. He started his rehab assignment at the same time as Bird, and hasn’t experienced any setbacks. Now that Clint Frazier is healthy and has joined the team, they don’t have a pressing need for McKinney. The outfielder is hitting .217/.379/.304 between Tampa and Trenton.

Justus Sheffield

The Yankees placed Sheffield on the seven-day disabled list last weekend. He was removed from the game in the fourth inning after experiencing shoulder tightness. The good news is that this was just a minor injury, as he is slated to pitch on Wednesday against Pawtucket.

Estevan Florial

Florial was removed from Thursday’s game with right wrist soreness. Unfortunately, the injury turned out to be more serious than anticipated. The outfielder will undergo hamate surgery, and is expected to miss anywhere from one to two months while the injury heals.