New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano left Tuesday's 7-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays after he was struck on the left hand by a J.A. Happ pitch in the first inning.
The video of Cano getting plunked can be seen below courtesy of MLB.com:
X-rays on Cano's hand came back negative at the hospital after he was originally diagnosed with a contusion. The team later announced that Cano is considered day-to-day, and according to sources the All-Star second baseman is aiming to return to the lineup Friday when the Yankees take on the Baltimore Orioles at home.
Cano didn't leave the game immediately, as he stayed on first base following being struck by the pitch and scored on Alfonso Soriano's three-run blast. He didn't come out to take the field in the bottom half of the first and was replaced defensively by Eduardo Nunez. Soriano homered twice in the game, reaching the 400 career long-balls.
Cano was struck by an 0-2 fastball that hit the radar guns at 90 mph. It caught Cano near the pinky finger and he winced in pain as manager Joe Girardi and the Yankees trainer came out to look at him. After careful evaluation, Cano took his spot on first base and scored moments later.
"It's swollen right now, and the last thing you want to do is aggravate it,'' Cano told ESPN about the hand injury.
Happ has some history with injuring Yankees as it was a pitch from him during the first game of spring training on Feb. 24 that broke Curtis Granderson's right forearm and caused the outfielder to miss the first 38 games of the season.
A loss of Cano for the long haul could hurt the Yankees, as he's been the team's best hitter by posting a .305 batting average with 24 homers and 84 RBIs.
The Yankees got a small measure of revenge on Happ, handing the lefty his fourth loss of the year, and raising his ERA to 5.46.
The fourth place Yankees (70-62) are currently 7.5 games back in the American League East, but are making a push for the playoffs via the wildcard as they sit just 4.5 games out of the second spot currently held by the Oakland Athletics.
If Cano's return proves to be against Baltimore, it would be great timing as the Orioles sit a game in front of the Yankees in wildcard positioning, making the weekend series all the more important.
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