Around the Empire: Yankees News - 9/14/19

MLB.com | Jordan Horrobin Yankees star catcher Gary Sanchez has been diagnosed with a left groin strain, according to what manager Aaron Boone told reporters before Friday’s game. The injury is very similar to the one that kept him out of action for over two weeks earlier in the season, but the club is optimistic about his chances of returning in 2019. “I don’t want to start saying 10 days, two weeks, three weeks, all these things, because we’re now in the early stages,” Boone observed. “I would say, based on the information given to me, I have some optimism.”

ESPN | Marly Rivera First baseman/designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion has been diagnosed with an internal oblique strain. While speaking with reporters on Friday, Boone referred to it as “mild,” and explained that Aaron Judge had “an internal and external.” The skipper said that although it is not a sure thing that he returns this season, he is optimistic that the team will have him back at some point, detailing that the next several days will be crucial. The 36-year-old has been a fantastic source of power for the Yankees, accumulating 34 dingers on the season as a whole.

NJ.com | Randy Miller Starting pitcher J.A. Happ, who left Thursday’s start against the Detroit Tigers with biceps tendinitis in his left arm, was in New York getting treatment on Friday. He received some good news, as the Yankees said he wouldn’t have to miss any turns; he remains on schedule to face the Los Angeles Angels next Thursday. He has been dealing with the issue for several starts, but received a cortisone injection on Friday and looks poised to return.

Lastly, James Wagner of the New York Times has an update on Jordan Montgomery:

The southpaw, who has missed all of 2019 to this point while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, will return to the Yankees’ active roster and pitch on Sunday. It is still not clear whether he will start or come as a reliever.