Jacoby Ellsbury Injury: Updates on Yankees Star's Oblique and Return

New York Yankees outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury has yet to return after being diagnosed with an oblique strain. He took part in a minor league game on March 31 and is expected to return to action against the Rays on April 1.

Continue for updates. 

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Ellsbury Likely to Return vs. Rays on Wednesday

Tuesday, March 31

Bryan Hoch of MLB.com provided comments from Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who said Ellsbury is pencilled in to play on Wednesday after a strong showing on Tuesday:

"Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that he has Ellsbury penciled in to play for the big league squad on Wednesday against the Rays. That would mark Ellsbury's first Grapefruit League game since March 15, when he sustained the strain while playing catch."

Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reported on March 19 that Ellsbury was diagnosed with a low-grade oblique strain and would be out of action for a week as he recovered.

However, Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com noted that the injury can keep players out for up to six weeks.

On March 17, Matthews passed along comments from Girardi, who said Ellsbury suffered the injury Sunday before the Yankees' game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Matthews provided more details on the specifics of the injury, which was originally deemed a quad injury: "And it turns out the 'quad strain' is actually a strain of the rectus abdominus, a muscle in the right side of Ellsbury's lower abdomen, which Girardi insisted is no more serious than the originally reported injury." 

At the time, Girardi also commented on his decision to leave Ellsbury out of the lineup: 

"

[Ellsbury] came in today and said he felt it a little today when he coughed. He didn't ask out of the lineup, but I said, 'I'm not going to play you then.' And I'm not going to play him tomorrow, then we'll go from there. ... The doctor wasn't too concerned. And I'm not too concerned. ... 

We'll give him a couple days and see where he's at. If it takes a week, it takes a week. Right now, my plan is to give him two days. I told him, 'I'm not going to play you today and I'm not going to play you tomorrow. Let's see where you're at Thursday.'

"