Yankees outfielder Austin Slater exited Monday's game against the Texas Rangers in the first inning with what the team called left hamstring tightness.
Slater, making just his second start since coming over at the MLB Trade Deadline in a deal with the White Sox, smashed a hard grounder to short in the top half of the first inning and appeared to experience some discomfort in the back of his left leg as he was running to first base.
"Felt it coming out of the box," Slater said after the 8-5 loss.
With Slater at first after the fielder's choice and runners on the corners, Rangers starter Patrick Corbin was set to deliver the next pitch, but time was called, and Slater called for the trainer. He was hardly examined and began walking off the field toward New York's dugout on the third base side of the field under his own power, after grabbing at his hamstring.
Jasson Dominguez entered as his replacement.
Manager Aaron Boone confirmed the deadline acquisition is headed for the IL, which is a big loss for the Yankees in this regard: the right-handed batter came in to provide another weapon against left-handed pitchers. Entering the night, he had an .825 OPS in 72 at-bats against southpaws on the season.
"Feel pretty devastated, to be honest," he said about the timing of the injury. "This was especially a night where I feel like I could have helped the team in a lot of different ways. Definitely not how I wanted to start off my tenure here. But the goal now is to get healthy quick, and get back on the field."
Slater said it was too early to tell the severity of the injury and hoped to get an MRI before the club left Texas to "reevaluate" the injury.
The Yanks are expecting to reinstate Aaron Judge from the injured list just on Tuesday, so they were expected to make a move this series. But with Judge only DHing in the first games he comes back, and Giancarlo Stanton not going to play the outfield in Texas, a second move could still happen to get an outfielder.
Austin Slater has left the game with a trainer in the first inning pic.twitter.com/sPluFyLy5Z
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