Yankees' Gary Sanchez to miss four weeks with strained brachialis muscle

Sanchez was placed on the disabled list over the weekend

NEW YORK -- On Monday, the New York Yankees celebrated their home opener by routing the Tampa Bay Rays 8-1 thanks to a strong Michael Pineda start. He took a perfect game into the seventh inning and finished with one run allowed and 11 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings.

Following the game, the Yankees announced some much anticipated news about injured catcher Gary Sanchez. Sanchez, who hurt himself taking a swing Saturday, will miss the next four weeks with a strained brachialis muscle according to manager Joe Girardi. That’s the muscle behind the biceps. 

Here’s video of the injury:

“They’re thinking four weeks. He’s going to be out about four weeks. It’s a strain,” said Girardi following the home opener win. “(Playing in major league games in four weeks) is our hope.”

Sanchez, 24, was 3 for 20 (.150) with one home run at the time of the injury. He came up last August and demolished AL pitching, hitting .299/.376/.657 (168 OPS+) with 20 home runs in 53 games. That earned him a second place finish in the Rookie of the Year voting.

The Yankees will use Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka behind the plate until Sanchez returns. Even considering Sanchez’s slow start to 2017, that duo is a huge step down for the Yankees offensively.