Yankees News: Gleyber Torres, James Paxton, Luis Avilan Go on IL with Injuries

The New York Yankees' injured list is getting crowded—again.

On Friday the team added shortstop Gleyber Torres (Grade 1 left quad/hamstring strains) and left-handers Luis Avilan (left shoulder inflammation) and James Paxton (left forearm flexor) to the IL.

Manager Aaron Boone told reporters on Saturday that Torres is expected to miss at least two weeks. 

The trio joins Aaron Judge, Zack Britton, Giancarlo Stanton, DJ LeMahieu, Tommy Kahnle, Kyle Higashioka and Luis Severino on the sidelines for a club that ceded first place in the American League East to the Tampa Bay Rays this week. 

The Yankees are now 16-9 and a half-game behind the Rays. 

It's a situation New York was hoping to avoid after the roster was decimated by injuries during the 2019 campaign. 

At one point last year, the team had an IL featuring Greg Bird, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jordan Montgomery, Dellin Betances, Stanton, Miguel Andujar, Luis Severino, Luke Voit, CC Sabathia, Edwin Encarnacion, Aaron Hicks and Gary Sanchez. 

Stanton played just 18 games in 2019, while only seven position players started 100 contests or more. 

The Yankees somehow managed to win the AL East with a 103-59 record. But that team had the benefit of time and a much longer schedule. The 2020 Yankees don't have that luxury in a 60-game season. 

In the meantime, Tyler Wade (.200/.286/.280) is likely to slot in for Torres at shortstop. 

New York's weekend series against the New York Mets has been postponed as the Mets deal with two positive cases of COVID-19 within the organization. The Yankees will return to the field for two games at the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

That may lessen the time the team is without Torres, but the continued streak of injuries will make any postseason run difficult for New York.