TAMPA, Fla. — By first pitch on a warm Tuesday afternoon here, the New York Yankees general manager had from the shade of his dugout acknowledged that neither Aaron Judge nor Giancarlo Stanton is likely to be game-ready in three weeks, a problem when the season is to start in three weeks and two days, and his Boston Red Sox counterpart from the shade of his dugout had revealed ace Chris Sale had an MRI of his elbow forwarded to Dr. James Andrews, and not to be autographed.
This would, of course, be worse news for Chaim Bloom, who in four months as chief baseball officer in Boston has been tasked with firing his manager, trading his best player and now, in the best case, identifying someone in the short-term to stand in for Sale.