Cano’s Hand Injury Not Severe

Added on May 02, 2011 by Scott in

MLB

Yankees fans can breathe a sigh of relief. The injury to second baseman Robinson Cano’s left hand won’t cause him to miss significant time, if any. Cano left yesterday’s game versus the Blue Jays after catching an attempted pickoff throw from pitcher Ivan Nova. X-rays on the hand were negative and Cano was diagnosed with a bruised palm. He is listed as day to day, but could be in the lineup for tonight’s matchup at Detroit.

Cano was unable to swing a bat after suffering the contusion. However, both manager Joe Girardi and hitting coach Kevin Long inferred the injury wasn’t severe and expected their star infielder to be ready for the four-game series with the Tigers.

Cano has been the Yankees best hitter this season. In 25 games played, he leads the team in batting average (.320), home runs (8), RBI (21) and hits (32). He is also second in slugging percentage at .630, behind only outfielder Curtis Granderson’s .640%.

Of all the big personalities and big ticket names on the Yankees roster, Cano continues to outperform all of them. The 28-year-old is a two-time All-Star and won his first Gold Glove Award last year. In 2010 he pulled off the improbable feat of 200 hits and 100-plus RBI.

In addition to all his other impressive stats in 2011, Cano has a hit in 19 of 20 games and all but three of 25 games started. Losing him for an extended period could be damaging to the Yankees place in the standings, especially with Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Brett Gardner and Jorge Posada struggling to find their swings. The quartet of hitters are all batting below .250 and have combined for 69 strikeouts.

The Yankees are currently 16-9, first-place in the AL East, 2.5 games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays. Beginning tonight, they will be on the road for the next seven games. The series at Detroit will be followed by a three-game set against the AL West-leading Rangers.

Source: ESPN.com