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New York Yankees relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman is heading to the injured list due to a leg infection from getting a tattoo. The move was announced prior to Saturday night’s game vs. the Oakland Athletics. The Yankees have won five in a row, including the first two games of the four-game series in Oakland.
It’s been another forgettable season for the ex-closer, who has missed plenty of games this season due to injury. Chapman’s long stint on the IL earlier in the season caused him to lose the closing job to Clay Holmes, who is currently on the IL as well. RP Scott Effross is also on the injured list. So the Yankees bullpen is a bit depleted right now. Chances are Lou Trivino will end up closing games but we could also see Ron Marinaccio get a crack at closing as well.
The Yankees should be fine in the short term without a handful of bullpen arms. New York has a 9.0 game lead on the Tampa Bay Rays for first place in the AL East entering Saturday night’s game. A win pushes that lead to 9.5 games with one more game against Oakland and a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels coming up. After that, the Yankees face the Rays in two of three series, six games that could decide the division.