The New York Yankees will be down Aroldis Chapman for at least two weeks, and the reason why is a classic weird baseball injury.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters on Saturday that Chapman is hitting the 15-day injured list due to a leg infection from a tattoo, according to ESPN’s Marly Rivera. The move was officially announced, complete with explanation, about an hour later.
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Chapman has not pitched since Aug. 19. Boone reportedly believed Chapman would be available for the Yankees’ game on Thursday against the Oakland Athletics, but the infection apparently worsened from there. Fortunately, Chapman, who is currently undergoing antibiotic treatment, is expected to return this season.
The tattoo in question was reportedly a portrait of his sister.
The trip to the IL is another rough break in a season full of them for Chapman, who currently holds a 4.70 ERA and 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings, both career lows, in 30 2/3 innings. He lost the closer position in May when he was placed on the IL with Achilles tendinitis.
Chapman has struggled since returning from that Achilles injury in early July, posting a 5.40 ERA in that span.
It’s an odd injury for Chapman, but not especially odd in the grand scheme of bizarre injuries this sport has seen. Here’s a limited sampling of the last decade or so:
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slicing a thumb on a knife washing the dishes
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breaking an elbow by getting startled by a bull
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hurting a finger while putting on pants
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breaking a nose because a barbell fell on it
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breaking a finger while playing a video game
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cutting a thumb after holding a wine glass too strongly
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fracturing an ankle after falling off a horse
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breaking a rib during a massage
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fracturing a hand while taking a shirt off
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cutting a pinky while repairing a drone
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spraining a shoulder in a dirt bike accident
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cutting a hand with a knife while trying to separate frozen hamburger patties
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breaking a hand when a suitcase fell on it
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cutting a thumb while slicing a sandwich into “fancy triangles”
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dislocating a shoulder while celebrating a World Series home run
