The New York Yankees injury woes continue during the early stages of the season, as designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton was placed on the ten-day injured list Monday because of his left quad strain. Fellow teammate and left-handed pitcher Zack Britton also had a setback in his recovery from elbow surgery. This news is troubling for a Yankees team that is trying to overcome a bad start to the season.

Stanton had been with the team in Texas, until officials decided to put him on the injured list following Sunday’s game. Stanton’s suffering from a soft tissue issue, and needs a few more days until he’s ready. Options like an MRI are still on the table for the Yankees slugger, who could be eligible to be activated after the Yankees’ off day next Monday.

Aaron Boone talk about the 2017 MVP. “Hopeful that, especially when we can backdate a few days, that coming out of the off day we’ll be alright, and hopefully just put this behind us entirely,” Boone said. “As much as he wants to be out there, I think he also realized that if it’s something he pushed through, it could turn into a longer-term situation.” Stanton was having a very successful season before the injury, hitting .282 with nine homers and 24 RBIs in his 33 games this season.

Regarding Britton, Boone also had some thoughts. “I think just general soreness. It could just be related to the normal ramp-up of going into a sim game and facing hitters.” Britton is still on the 60-day injured list after elbow surgery.

As for other Yankee players, second baseman Rougned Odor, who missed his 12th game because of a left knee sprain, is expected to be back at some time during the series. Teammate and star outfielder Aaron Hicks was sadly also put on the 10-day injured list Sunday, after tearing a tendon sheath in his left wrist. The injury isn’t believed to have a long term impact in his season and he should be back soon.

The ongoing complaint frequently levied against baseball that the sport is “too boring” or “too slow” took a stiff blow Tuesday night when the New York Yankees faced off against the Minnesota Twins and won the contest 14-12 at Target Field.

In a game that featured two teams likely to meet in October, leads appeared no safer than a Yankee fan in a Boston bar, as each squad exchanged late-game runs like prospects at the trade deadline. The Yankees ignited the contest’s scoring with a Didi Gregorious two-out double into center field, and the two runs gave New York a first inning 2-0 lead in the 10-inning extravaganza. In response, the Twins hopped on starting pitcher Domingo German quickly, scoring several runs over the next three innings. Capped off with a 414–foot Miguel Sano home run, the Twins took a large, yet deceiving, 8–2 lead.

Both teams proceeded to add more runs during the fifth inning, with Gregorious hurting the Twins again after slapping a three-run home run into the right field seats. Although Jorge Polanco responded with an RBI single, adjusting the game to a 5–9 score that still favored the Twins, New York awaited their chance to offer a massive rebuttal.

Three innings later, the bombers exploded offensively, as RBI doubles from both Mike Tauchman and Aaron Judge put the team in striking distance, as the Yankees now trailed by just one run. Playing the hero role once more was Gregorious, who next stepped up and rocked a double off the center-field wall, scoring both Judge and D.J. LeMahieu as New York completed the comeback and led 10–9 at that point.

Refusing to go out quietly, the Twins ignited a far less difficult, yet equally draining, comeback themselves. Staying hot, Sano clubbed a two-run homer off the commonly unhitable Yankee reliever Zach Britton, and granted Minnesota a 11–10 advantage. Swinging his team back, however, Aaron Hicks launched his own two-run homer, this one into the visiting bullpen and putting New York into the driver’s seat as the they once again revised the scoreboard, which at that point illustrated a 12-11 Yankee lead.

Once entering the dramatic game’s potentially concluding frame, you guessed it: the Twins battled back. Yankee closer Aroldis Champman struggled mightily from the hill, walking four batters and eventually giving up a sack fly RBI to Polanco. After somehow grinding out the inning without relinquishing the game–ending run, extra innings commenced. Joining the fun, Gleyber Torres pushed the Yankees back into the lead with an RBI single to right-center field. Austin Romine followed by adding some further insurance after singling and proceeding to score on a wild pitch.

With another chance to close out the game, this time New York turned to Adam Ottavino, who entered the game with an exceptional 1.91 ERA. However, the drama raged on as Ottavino proceeded to load the bases on three walks, seemingly playing right into the trend Chapman illustrated during his ninth-inning collapse. One out away from ending the five-hour game, the New York Yankees called upon Chad Green to face frequent walk–off hitter Max Kepler. On a night highlighted with offensive firepower, the Yankees finished things off next on a play for the ages.

By connecting on Green’s fourth pitch, Kepler shot a ball deep into left-center. With the ball cutting towards the grass and threatening to score the winning runs for Minnesota, an all–out diving Hicks intercepted the ball and at last silenced Minnesota, thus ending perhaps the league’s best game with the greatest catch thus far during the season.

“That was a do-or-die play,” said Hicks following his incredible catch and a celebratory ice bath from his teammates. “That was a play that needed to be made in order for the game to end.”

Meanwhile, the Minnesota players trotted off Target Field stunned and understandably disappointed. “You do everything right, and it gets caught,” said Kepler after the dust had settled. Although they still maintained a first-place lead, the Twins dropped to 61–39 following the heart–wrenching loss.

Head coach Aaron Boone also reflected on the game as he stated, “That’s one of those games that, for being late July, we’ll probably be talking about for a long time.” With everyone certainly agreeing with Boone’s statement, fans can only hope for an encore, one that if possible could come with even further drama, as the playoffs near closer.

The New York Yankees re-signed key outfielder Aaron Hicks to a seven-year extension this week before he hit the free agency market. The contract will run through the 2025 season. The deal also reportedly includes a club option for the 2026 season.

Yanks Ink Aaron Hicks To Extension

Though exact details of the contract aren’t out, Hicks will make $70 million over the first seven years of the deal. The outfielder will skip over his final year of arbitration and kick off the deal this year.

“He’s a big part of this team and a big part of our success … I always love playing by him,” said Yankees star Aaron Judge of Hicks. “To hear he got seven years, we’ll be playing together for a long time.”

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Hicks was scheduled to hit free agency after the 2019 season. In a class marked for its lack of outfield depth, the Hicks deal looks like a steal for both sides.  The 29 year old is coming off career highs in games, homers, RBIs, and WAR. He was good for a .248 average, 27 homers, and 79 RBIs in his third season in New York.

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Interestingly, the contract comes just over a month after he signed a one-year, $6 million deal to stay with the Yankees. During his time in New York, the switch-hitting outfielder has been invaluable to the budding contenders. Manager Aaron Boone referred to Hicks as “maybe the most underrated player in the game.”

The Yankees will use Hicks similarly to current fourth outfielder Brett Gardner. With Judge in right field, Giancarlo Stanton holding down the designated hitter spot, and some combination of prospects Clint Frazier and Estevan Florial in left field, Hicks is a dependable bat without much pressure. As he declines, he can easily slide over to left, be a plus defender and let one of the younger guys man center similar to how Gardner did. The deal allows New York to compete in his current year while also providing a steady path for the future.

Could it be that the New York Yankees have tapped into the potential of not one, but two, home run hitting monsters?

On top of Aaron Judge‘s ridiculously hot start to the 2017 season, in which he has hit a league-leading 17 home runs, last year’s breakout star Gary Sanchez may be returning to 2016 form. Sanchez hit two home runs for three RBIs in last night’s Yankee win over the Toronto Blue Jays, 12-2.

Sanchez, who hit 20 homers in the final two months of the 2016 season, missed some time early on this year with a strained bicep but his been decent in his return. So far the 24-year-old has hit six home runs and 15 RBIs to the tune of a .270 average. His performance last night reminded many of the young star they saw less than six months ago.

“He can do a lot of damage,” manager Joe Girardi told reporters after the game.

When asked why Sanchez wasn’t hitting as well as he was last season, Girardi joked that last year, Sanchez wasn’t human. But, despite Sanchez’s return to human form, the manager believes that there wasn’t ever anything wrong his catcher’s approach at the plate.

“We thought his swings were better [tonight]. We thought that he just missed a few pitches here and there. We like the work that he had been doing in the cages with our coaches. His approach seemed to be getting better as well. Those are two big home runs.”

Sanchez commented on his season thus far as well. “I feel that I’m still not where I want to be, but I see improvement every day. I feel better and better and better, but I feel I can improve my timing.”

Sanchez wasn’t the only young star knocking in runs on the night. Aaron Hicks, who has replaced the injured Jacoby Ellsbury, had a career best six RBIs on the night, coming on four hits. Judge, who took the night off from sending one into the stands, had one hit, knocking in Brett Gardner – who collected his 1,000 career hit with a single in fourth inning – for the first run of the game. The Yankees would go on to score four in the first inning alone.

Benefiting from the barrage the most was Yankee’s veteran pitcher CC Sabathia, who threw 6 1/3 innings, giving up only one run. He struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter.

It was the fourth win in a row for Sabathia, who last lost on May 9 in Cincinnati. The 36-year-old pitcher is 6-2 on the year with a 4.12 ERA.

The first-place Yankees face the Blue Jays in game two of the series on Friday, June 2 at 7 p.m. EST on YES.

The New York Yankees acquired outfielder Aaron Hicks from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for catcher John Ryan Murphy on Wednesday. The 26-year-old OF was the first-round draft pick for the Twins back in 2008. This past season, Hicks hit .256/.323/.393 in 97 games for 11 homers, 13 stolen bases and 33 RBI.

Murphy, 24, on the other hand, was a second-round pick by the Yankees in 2009. In the last 67 games with New York this season, he batted .277/.327/.406 with three homers and 14 RBI. This is regarded to be a strong gain for the Twins, who have been seeking a young catcher for a while now.

Fox Sports writer and newscaster Ken Rosenthal cited Hicks as an ‘elite defender’ in a tweet on Wednesday. Fellow Fox Sports newsman Jon Morosi, meanwhile, tweeted out that the trade was a good one and that both teams ‘had depth in that area.’