Jacoby Ellsbury suffers concussion after running into centerfield wall
New York Yankees centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury makes the catch and hits up against the wall for an out against Kansas City Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar during the first inning in an MLB baseball game at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, May 24, 2017. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Yankees centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury left Wednesday night’s game against the Royals in the top of the second inning with a neck sprain and concussion, the result of crashing into the wall making a catch on a drive by Alcides Escobar on the first pitch of the game.
“He’s on the seven-day concussion DL,” said manager Joe Girardi after the game, a 3-0 win for the Yankees. “Obviously we’ll have to make a move. We haven’t had a chance to talk about it yet.”
Could that mean a chance for Dustin Fowler or Clint Frazier?
“I haven’t had a chance to have a chance to talk to [GM Brian Cashman] about it,” said Girardi. “A lot of times when you have a situation when you feel it’s going to be short (the DL stint), you might do something different than if you felt it was going to be long.”
Is the neck a concern too?
“Any time you have whiplash, you worry about stiffness and what they’re able do to,” said Girardi.
The Yankees have more than a few options at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Outfielder Mason Williams and utility man Rob Refsnyder are both on the 40-man roster, but the Yankees could also choose, though it is less likely, to go with Fowler or Frazier.
Ellsbury, hitting .281/.349/.422 in 38 games, went to his knees after making the catch and was checked out by Girardi and trainer Steve Donohue.
Yankees starter Luis Severino appreciated Ellsbury’s effort.
“He made a great catch,” said Severino. “Maybe that was a double or triple. He made a great catch there.”
Leftfielder Brett Gardner was also impressed.
“He hit the wall pretty hard,” said Gardner. “He made a hell of a play. He set the tone for the game.”
The 33-year-old Ellsbury missed three games earlier in the month with a bruised nerve in his left elbow, sustained May 1 against Toronto when he made a running catch against the wall.
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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