Yankees' Gary Sanchez (likely) to DL | What it means

by Felix Pantaleón

Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez strained his groin and hip abductor running to first base in a 7-6, extra-innings loss to the Rays on Sunday.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Looks like the Yankees will be without catcher Gary Sanchez for a while.

A strained right groin and hip abductor will “probably” land Sanchez on the disabled list, manager Aaron Boone said after the Yankees’ 7-6, 12-inning loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field on Sunday.

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How it happened: Sanchez said he first felt pain striding for first base trying to beat out a double play in the 10th inning. He then felt more pain when he landed on the leg after he was called out. Sanchez doubled over in pain. Trainer Steve Donohue and Boone walked Sanchez, slowly, off the field, and backup Austin Romine took over the next inning.

The next move: Sanchez will stay in Tampa for an MRI on Monday, Boone said.

How he felt after the game: “It’s bothering me right now,” Sanchez said via translator. “(Monday) we’re going to have an MRI and we’ll see the extent of the injury.”

Who takes over: Romine, who’s having a career year at the plate, hitting .305 with four homers and 20 RBI in 82 at-bats. Romine filled in for Sanchez when he went on the DL with a strained right biceps last year and he hit .327 with two homers and 10 RBI in 18 games.

Who comes up: Probably Kyle Higashioka, the Yankees’ only other catcher on the 40-man roster. Higashioka, 28, will get his second big-league call up. He went 0-for-18 in his time in the majors last year. The Yankees drafted Higashioka out of high school in the seventh round in 2008. He’s hitting .191 with five homers and 22 RBI in 51 games at Triple-A this year.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @BrendanKutyNJ. Find NJ.com Yankees on Facebook.