New York Yankees reliever Dellin Betances’ return to the mound from injury only lasted one game.
Betances, who was making his first appearance of the season, suffered a partial tear of his left Achilles tendon when he landed awkwardly on the mound on Sunday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on Tuesday.
Betances faced two batters during the game against the Blue Jays, striking out both batters, and appeared to injure himself when he took a skip step off of the mound when celebrating what he thought was the third out of the inning.
Betances was sore when he arrived at Yankee Stadium before Tuesday’s game and was unable to get up on his toes. He was then sent for a scan and was examined by Dr. Justin Greisberg at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and he will get a second opinion from Dr. Martin O’Malley at the Hospital for Special Surgery.
“Heartbroken for Dellin,” Boone said (h/t ESPN), calling Betances’ injury “about as freak as can be.”
The Yankees plan to follow the recommendation to treat the injury conservatively, but is not currently ruling out surgery.
The Yankees boast a strong bullpen, even without Betances, and have played the entire season without the four-time All-Star. Still, the loss will hurt.
“We’ve been one of the best teams in the sport all season and I would say our bullpen’s been one of the overwhelming strengths of this club, and that doesn’t change,” Boone said. “We know how great he is and what a difference-maker he is, but we certainly have the people there to continue to have our bullpen be a strength.”