In another setback for the Yankees, closer Aroldis Chapman has been placed on the 15-day IL with left achilles tendonitis.
The 7x All-Star has struggled as of late, allowing one run in each of his last five appearances. This comes after he opened the season with 12 straight scoreless appearances. There were some red flags during that stretch, though, as he surrendered seven walks in 10 ½ innings, showing a significant loss of command.
“When you’re dealing with things, sometimes it can affect you, but at the end of the day, it’s not the reason for the last results,” Chapman told reporters on Monday about his struggles. “Pretty simple, things have not worked out the way I would want.” Chapman underwent an MRI Sunday that came back negative, but added in his postgame presser that he had been receiving treatment on the achilles for weeks.
The decision to move him to the IL is the right one. The achilles tendon runs along the back of the calf, connecting it’s muscles to the heel bone (calcaneus). Achilles tendonitis generally develops over a few weeks, during which dull pain starts in the calf or ankle before growing more intense. It heals up well on its own with rest and rehab, however it also can weaken the tendon, which increases the likelihood of a rupture. That is why moving Chapman to the IL is the right decision.
Chapman’s velocity has seen a decrease this year – 98.3 mph in 2021 to 96.8 mph this year – and his command has been inconsistent to say the least. Having two weeks off is exactly what he needs to bounce back.
Chapman Season Stats – 0-2 / 3.86 ERA / 9 SV / 1.64 WHIP
