NEW YORK, 10 March 2004 — New York Yankees slugger Gary Sheffield could be sidelined for up to three months with a thumb injury, the team’s website said on Monday.
Sheffield, one of the Yankees’ key off-season acquisitions when he signed a three-year, $39-million contract, sustained the injury in a Spring training game Saturday against Toronto Blue Jays. “It was already sore when I got here from last year, but it’s something I can work out,” said Sheffield. “This just inflamed it again. I could play right now if I had to.
“They want to be on the safe side, I’ve injured this thumb before, so that’s probably what they see.”
An MRI scan on Sunday and X-rays on Monday showed no broken bones but the big right fielder was sent to New York to be examined by doctors to try to determine the full extent of the injury.
Sheffield downplayed the injury but Yankee general manager Brian Cashman was taking a cautious approach, saying in a worse-case scenario the outfielder could require surgery and be out for three months.
“Yesterday, we did the MRI as a precaution. I wasn’t really worried about it,” said Cashman. “Today, I’m a little more worried about it.”
“We want to see exactly what’s going on in the thumb.
“He might not be out, that’s what we’re waiting to see.”
