Infection from tattoo lands Aroldis Chapman on injured list
Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman reacts during the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 19. Credit: Adam Hunger
OAKLAND, Calif. — Aroldis Chapman’s disappointing (and at times odd) 2022 season continued on that track Saturday.
Aaron Boone disclosed before Saturday night’s game against the A’s that the reliever is headed to the injured list because of “a pretty bad infection” in his leg from a new tattoo he recently received.
Boone said Chapman, who has a 4.70 ERA in 36 games, did not require hospitalization, though the lefthander spent Friday and Saturday at the team hotel in downtown San Francisco. Chapman, a free agent after the season accompanied the team to the ballpark Thursday, but symptoms from the infection became more and more pronounced before that night’s game.
“We’re treating him with antibiotics and things like that,” Boone said. “Hopefully he’s good in several days. We can backdate this a few days, but we have to get our arms around it and get the infection out of there. It’s gotten a little bit worse over the last two days.”
Boone said because it would have been logistically impossible to get someone to Oakland in time for Saturday night’s game and because Clay Holmes is slated to come off of the IL before Monday night’s game in Anaheim against the Angels, the Yankees weren’t planning on making a corresponding roster move just for Sunday’s series finale here.
“We’ll just kind of monitor the situation today,” Boone said. “If we need someone for tomorrow [Sunday], we’ll maybe cross that bridge.”
Chapman lost his closer job to Holmes in May and landed on the injured list shortly thereafter. After nine straight scoreless appearances, he allowed three runs and four walks in one inning in his last two appearances Aug. 17 and 19.
Trevino sits
Jose Trevino, though repeatedly saying “I’m good” in the clubhouse before Saturday night’s game, was not in the starting lineup after getting hit by a 94-mph fastball on his right big toe by Jared Koenig in the eighth inning of Friday night’s 3-2 victory. Kyle Higashioka, who replaced Trevino in the ninth inning, started Saturday night and, Boone said, likely will start Sunday afternoon as well.
“Probably [only] in an emergency situation,” Boone said of Trevino’s availability for Saturday night. “Hopefully it’s something that’s just a day-to-day thing. Feel fortunate that we hopefully dodged something serious.”
X-rays of Trevino’s toe late Friday night came back negative, but Boone said the catcher still was “pretty sore” Saturday.
Said Trevino: “Getting hit by a baseball hurts. Shake it off and come back.”
If something happened to Higashioka on Saturday and Trevino could not play, Isiah Kiner-Falefa caught in 73 games for the Rangers.
J-Lo of old?
Righthander Jonathan Loaisiga, whose inconsistencies this season have hampered the bullpen, especially after the season-ending injuries to Chad Green and Michael King, may at last be on track to recapture his form of 2021, when he was one of the best relievers in the game.
Lost a bit in Friday night’s victory, which was highlighted by Aaron Judge’s 49th homer and a standout start by Gerrit Cole, was another good outing by Loaisiga. Coming on with one out in the eighth, the righthander got Shea Langeliers to pop to first on a 99-mph sinker, then struck out Sean Murphy swinging, also on a 99-mph sinker, to end an eight-pitch at-bat.
Loaisiga has a 5.64 ERA in 35 games burt has allowed one run and two hits in 5 2/3 innings in his last six games, striking out four and walking one.
“He was so good,” Boone said of Loaisiga’s outing Friday. “That’s the Johnny that we saw all year last year right there. That’s going through two really good righthanders in a big spot and he had that electric two-seamer going. Another really big outing for him.”
In becoming one of MLB's most feared relievers, Loaisiga recorded a 2.17 ERA in 57 games in 2021, striking out 69 and walking 16.
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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