Yankees prospect Estevan Florial suffers non-displaced fracture of right wrist
Yankees center fielder Estevan Florial (92) can't hang on to a fly ball off the bat of the Mets' Jay Bruce on March 7, 2018, in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Credit: AP/John Bazemore
TAMPA, Fla. – It didn’t look good when Yankees top prospect Estevan Florial crashed into the centerfield fence at Steinbrenner Field in the top of the eighth inning on Saturday and crumpled to the warning track in obvious discomfort.
It wasn’t good. X-rays revealed that Florial suffered a non-displaced fracture of his right wrist. He will be reevaluated on Monday, the Yankees said in a statement.
Florial stayed in the game and finished the half-inning after crashing into the fence on a two-run triple by Danny Jansen of the Blue Jays in the Yankees’ 17-7 victory. Florial was removed for a pinch hitter in the bottom half.
Florial, 21, was having a stellar spring training. After going 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored, the lefthanded batter was hitting .355 (11-for-31) with one home run, four RBIs and five stolen bases.
Florial played in only 84 games last season after suffering a broken hamate bone and undergoing surgery in May on the same wrist he broke on Saturday.
In three levels topping out at Class A Tampa, Florial hit a combined .283 with six home runs, 35 RBIs and a .799 OPS. He was expected to begin this season at either Tampa or Double-A Trenton.
This past week, manager Aaron Boone said of Florial: “I think the thing I’m seeing is the steady improvement. And he’s such just a humble, hard-working, wants-to-please [person].
"I remember last spring he had a great spring for us and really opened a lot of eyes. For me, last year, the first time seeing him, the talent kind of jumps off the screen immediately. There definitely seems to be more polish to him this year and I think he’s grown. I feel like his route efficiency in the outfield has been better. I feel like he’s getting a little more instinctive on the bases. I think he’s growing in his plate discipline and his plan and approach at the plate. So to me it looks like the aptitude’s there and we’re seeing the growth.
"Now it’s a matter of him going out and having that healthy season where he can go really pop and take off because -– as I’ve talked about a lot – the ceiling is pretty high with him.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
