SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Brian Cashman wanted to separate “what was real versus what was bulls–t” in the autopsy of the 2023 Yankees.
When queried what was not B.S., the first thing Cashman offered was injuries.
While two of the biggest that hurt the Yankees this past season were of the fluke variety — Aaron Judge running into the wall at Dodger Stadium and Anthony Rizzo getting into a collision at first base — they also had plenty of “regular” injuries in an all-too-familiar trend.
Still, Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner defended the Yankees’ training and strength and conditioning staffs — overseen by Eric Cressey, the club’s director of health and player performance — indicating that they would not be making any personnel changes.
“Believe me, we’ve looked at this,” Steinbrenner said this week. “We’ve looked at it, we’ve looked at it. There just doesn’t seem to be a smoking gun at all. But I’m very comfortable with our training staff and very comfortable with our strength and conditioning staff as well.”
In 2023, the Yankees had 28 players combine for 38 injured list stints, costing them 1,882 games.
A year ago, they had 28 players combined for 33 IL stints, costing them 1,385 games (18 via the COVID IL).
The Yankees, according to Spotrac, spent the third-most days on the IL this season, behind only the Dodgers and Angels.
Their $82 million spent on players on the IL was the highest total in the league.
“Some of it is it’s a sport and injuries happen,” Cashman said. “Some of it is fluky, whether it’s Judge being a competitor and giving his body up to try to save a game. … But do I think it’s derelict of duty because of Eric Cressey’s hiring? The answer’s no. I don’t believe that. But that doesn’t mean that we [don’t] continue to try to find ways to be better and limit injuries.”
The Yankees hired Cressey in January 2020, coming off a 2019 season in which they set a then-MLB record with 30 players (representing 39 stints) hitting the injured list.
Cashman previously indicated that Cressey’s impact might take a few years to be fully felt, but the Yankees were once again hurt by injuries this season.
Cashman on Tuesday insisted that Cressey “runs a great operation” and that he has “opened our eyes to changing certain programs.”
Steinbrenner added that Judge and other players “have a lot of respect” for the strength and conditioning staff.
But Cashman also pointed out that the Yankees can only control how players are training during the season.
“There’s got to be a recognition too that right now in the offseason, for the most part, especially in this new world order that we live in with the latest iteration of the Basic Agreement, we can’t force players to do things in the winter on how we do it,” Cashman said. “So I used the example of Nestor Cortes, he did his training in Miami last [offseason] and I’m not saying he did anything wrong. I’m not saying he wouldn’t potentially have hurt his hamstring with us if he trained with us.
“But training for the WBC last year, getting ramped up early, he blew out before he even got to spring training and all of a sudden the first day [reporters] show up [in a Tampa], it’s like, ‘Hey by the way, Nestor is down, he’s gonna probably start the season late because he hurt his hamstring right before camp training for the WBC.’ Not on our watch.”
The Yankees were burned by a number of soft-tissue injuries, especially to some of their players who have long injury histories, including Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Donaldson, Carlos Rodon and Luis Severino.
Stanton was especially hindered in terms of his mobility as he tried to protect against further injuries to his legs after coming back from the IL.
“The only way to put it behind us is to create a new narrative,” Cashman said. “Bring somehow, someway, a much improved situation, healthier and a better roster to change the narrative. Because right now, the narrative’s not good enough.”