Yankees injuries: Brett Gardner returns to the lineup tonight

Right knee inflammation kept Brett Gardner out of the Yankees lineup since Sunday, but he is finally ready to return tonight. The left fielder noticed unusual pain in his knee on Saturday, and was sent for an MRI. Luckily, it didn’t reveal anything serious, and Gardner will hopefully be good as new after resting for a few days.

The Yankees didn’t feel that the injury required a stint on the disabled list, but Clint Frazier was called up to fill in for him this week. Does Gardner’s return mean that we’ve seen the last of Red Thunder for awhile? Not necessarily. It’s no secret that Frazier wants to stick in the majors, and he has been trying everything he can to convince the Yankees not to send him back down to Triple-A. Aaron Boone noticed, and indicated that the Yankees might just keep him around.

“Yeah, I think there’s an avenue for that,” Boone said. “We’re kind of just day by day right now based on different guys and our needs in the pitching and how many (relievers) we want to keep, (but) he’s taking advantage of opportunities.”

Frazier certainly has hit well during his short stints with the team this year. He’s currently batting .368/.478/.474 across 19 at-bats.