The Venezuelan recipient of New York Yankees, Robinson Chirinos, was diagnosed with a fracture in his right wrist, the club announced. “Wrist and hand specialists will be consulted in the coming days to determine the best steps to follow,” according to the official team. Chirinos suffered an injury after being hit by a pitch during yesterday’s match against Los Pittsburgh pirates.
Chirinos, 36, was in the camp with a minor league contract signed to provide some depth of grip and probably to give Kyle Higashioka some competition for the backup catch job. .
Given that Chirinos was pretty much an average player in the league during the nine MLB seasons, this record probably made him an overly qualified fight for the role of “spring training receiver” who could be an indication of how the Yankees were approaching the position given by Gary Sanchez’s struggles in 2020.
However, Chirinos’ chances of making the opening list are over, and he could face a lengthy dismissal, depending on the severity of his fracture.
Upset with an ankle injury for much of 2020, Chirinos struggled through an ugly season in which he hit just .162 / .232 / .243 in 82 combined plate appearances with the Texas Rangers and New York Mets .
It was a big step back for a catcher who has been a productive bat for much of his career, hitting .234 / .329 / .439 with 85 home runs in two thousand 43 bats with the Tampa Bay Rays , Rangers and Astros Houston from 2011-19.