New York Yankees slugger Matt Carpenter has been out of action since August 8 with a fractured left foot after fouling off a ball.
His absence has really affected the Yankees, who entered a deep slump around the end of July that extended into late August-early September.
His recovery was expected to take most of the regular season, which ended up being the case.
He is reportedly feeling better, and could be an option for the Yankees relatively soon.
“Matt Carpenter could take live at-bats this coming week with Somerset rather than fly with the Yankees to Texas, Aaron Boone said. That would give him more reps to be ready for the ALDS,” Yankees insider Bryan Hoch tweeted on Friday afternoon.
Matt Carpenter could take live at-bats this coming week with Somerset rather than fly with the Yankees to Texas, Aaron Boone said. That would give him more reps to be ready for the ALDS.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) September 30, 2022
At this time, Carpenter is not a lock to be on the AL Division Series roster.
Carpenter Still Has A Long Way To Go
He will need to show that he is 100 percent over the foot fracture.
Additionally, he would need lots of at-bats to regain his rhythm at the plate.
That could take a while; and even if he manages to do that, Double-A pitchers are obviously much worse than MLB hurlers.
In any case, it’s nice to know that Carpenter’s return is finally imminent after many, many weeks without progress.
Whether he can contribute or not to the Yankees’ postseason run remains to be seen.
He was quite the find in the regular season: after being ruled out by two organizations, the Yankees took a chance on him and helped him with some adjustments.
He took off, with a .305/.412/.727 and 15 home runs in 154 plate appearances.
If fully healthy, Carpenter could be an asset for the Yankees in the postseason.
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