If New York Yankees closer Andrew Miller has his way, he’ll be playing on Opening Day despite a fractured wrist.
Andrew Miller’s CT scan revealed a chip fracture in his right wrist. A hand specialist will determine next course of action.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 31, 2016
Miller was injured on his non-throwing wrist after being struck by a line drive on Wednesday during a Spring Training game against the Braves.
Despite the injury, Miller still intends to play, telling Bryan Hoch of MLB.com he doesn’t need his right hand and plans on manipulating his glove around the injury so it doesn’t effect him.
“It’s my right hand; I don’t really need it,” Miller said. “I don’t see any reason I can’t work around it, unless for some reason the doctor tells me I have to protect it for some reason that we don’t foresee. I plan to be able to manipulate my glove around it and not really worry about it.”
Miller is set to see a specialist and if he’s told he can’t pitch he said he’s going to “find another doctor.”
“I’d probably find another doctor. I can’t imagine not playing because of something on my right hand.”
The 30-year-old lefty clearly wants to pitch, but it’s probably not the best idea to put his future health in jeopardy so he doesn’t have to be shelved to open the season. The baseball season is long, and Miller would still get plenty of chances to pitch if he had to sit out for a few weeks. Realistically, playing through a fractured wrist could further injure Miller and cause him to miss even more time. It’s a huge gamble. Miller’s a competitor so he wants to take the risk, even if it seems like a bad one.
Miller also might be pressured to pitch despite the injury because of fellow Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman’s 30 game suspension to start the year. The Yankees could still slide Dellin Betances into the closer’s role if both Chapman and Miller aren’t active on Opening Day, but having two of their three dominant relievers instead of just one would likely make them feel much more confident.
[MLB.com]
