It didn’t feel like a paranoid assumption to fear the worst when valuable utility guy and part-time third baseman Jon Berti fell down in a heap at the end of Friday’s blowout win. Without making contact, Berti fell to the ground and limped from the field to avoid putting any weight on his damaged leg.
In addition to ending Berti’s season and giving the Yankees’ bench some much-needed length and variety, a torn achilles would be personally devastating for a player who has proven himself in Miami year after year after year of mediocrity.
While the Yankees were leading 7-0 in the ninth inning of a game, who wants to see any important player fall down? Tom Thibodeau’s criticism had to be avoided by New York sports radio.
After Saturday’s victory, Berti’s worries intensified when Aaron Boone failed to provide an update on his scans more than twenty-four hours later. Fortunately, there was some positive news when we arrived to the ballpark on Sunday: Berti’s season is most likely not finished.
He will need time off to heal from a serious calf issue, and the Yankees can give him that time as DJ LeMahieu and Oswald Peraza are reportedly getting ready to make their respective comebacks.
Jon Berti, an infielder for the Yankees, has a high-grade calf strain; his comeback timeline is unknown.
Although a “high-grade strain” is essentially a minor tear, Berti will really recover slowly and should be back to aid this squad in the last stretch of the season rather than being a spectator. Initially, there was concern that a full tear might occur.
Less than a week after launching a game-changing three-run home run against the White Sox, Berti is hitting.273 in 55 at-bats. His absence is one of those that you realize weeks later, when you realize you don’t have an extra reliable component around to help carry you through the long season.
Recall how we thought the Yankees could continue after Mike Tauchman went down in September 2019 at Fenway (always Fenway), only for Giancarlo Stanton to go down a few weeks later and the whole house to fall apart?
Tauchman could have been useful. When Berti gets back, he will assist. However, the “crowded infield” always appears to work itself out cosmically. LeMahieu should return shortly; in the meanwhile, Kevin Smith will take Berti’s spot; The Machine was moved to the 60-Day IL as a paperwork-only move.
