Yankees' Gary Sanchez needs shoulder surgery | What it means, how long he's out

by Felix Pantaleón

Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez needs shoulder surgery. Here’s what general manager Brian Cashman had to say about it at the 2018 MLB GM Meetings on Wednesday.

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CARLSBAD, Calif. — A left shoulder injury could have contributed to Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez‘s terrible season at the plate, general manager Brian Cashman said.

“It might have,” Cashman told reporters at the 2018 MLB GM Meetings at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa on Wednesday.

Sanchez will have debridement surgery on the shoulder but should be ready for Opening Day, Cashman said.

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Here’s what you need to know:

Will Sanchez miss time? Cashman said no. He said that he expects the 26-year-old to go into spring training as a rehab player but that the issue should be behind him before the regular season.

Where did this come from? Sanchez’s left shoulder has bothered him since 2017. He had a cortisone shot in it that season and two in 2018. The Yankees kept hoping it would just recover.

When did it pop up? Sanchez was working with the Yankees’ strength and conditioning coach Matt Krause in Tampa on Tuesday when he complained that he still felt pain in the join. The decision to have surgery was made Tuesday, too.

What is debridement surgery? Via the Mayo Clinic: “This minimally-invasive shoulder surgery is used to remove tissue in the shoulder joint that has been damaged from arthritis, overuse or injury. The shoulder surgeon uses a small camera, called an arthroscope, which is inserted into the shoulder joint.”

Cashman gives background: “He just resumed workouts. Still felt a little bit lingering from it. So we could continue with the conservative treatment, play it out and hope that it would get better, but we’re going to go the other route to get ahead of it. Down time is three months. Should be ready to go by Opening Day.”

What Sanchez did last year: He was terrible. He hit .186 with 18 home runs and 53 RBI in 89 games, missing a lot of time with groin strains. It was a huge step back from 2017, when Sanchez was an All-Star, hitting .278 with 33 homers and 90 RBI in 122 games.