Just when it finally seemed reliever Dellin Betances was closing in on a return to the New York Yankees bullpen, he’ll now have to head back to New York for more testing following an injury setback.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters that Betances felt soreness in his right shoulder after throwing earlier this week and it prevented him from being able to participate in a side session.
As a result, the 31-year-old is now headed back to New York City to undergo further testing on the impingement in his right shoulder.
Betances reported feeling weakness in his throwing shoulder back in spring training and tests later revealed the impingement. New York exercised caution with its All-Star reliever but even after significant time off, the pain in his shoulder remains.
Even in a best-case scenario, New York will likely have to shut Betances down for at least a week. This is the second setback he has suffered during his rehab, so the Yankees are likely to exercise extreme caution.
While New York’s bullpen enters the weekend with the fifth-lowest ERA (3.76) in the majors, the All-Star’s absence is felt. Betances has been one of the best relievers in baseball since he made his MLB debut with a 2.36 ERA across 381 innings.