Yankees uncertain when Aroldis Chapman will be able to return to bullpen

When it comes to the return of the Yankees' closer, there's much uncertainty

Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman has been on the disabled list since Aug. 22 with left knee tendinitis. While the club was initially hopeful that Chapman wouldn't miss much time, his recovery didn't go as hoped. Chapman eventually underwent a platelet-rich plasma injection, and and now his time-table for a return to the active roster is uncertain.

Here's what GM Brian Cashman said on Saturday: 

Cashman on his level of confidence Chapman will be back this season & return to the level he was pitching at: "We’re hopeful but I can’t tell you any level of confidence one way or the other...I can’t guarantee when we’re going to see Chappy. But we're hopeful we’ll see him."

— Erik Boland (@eboland11) September 1, 2018

This certainly doesn't sound like unqualified optimism on the part of Cashman and the Yankees. The Yankees are all but locked in as a wild-card team, so the loss of Chapman for the regular season likely won't change much. Obviously, he's vital to the Yankees' hopes of playing deep into October, especially given the recent usage trends of playoff bullpens. The Yankees are no doubt hoping that Chapman gets healthy in time to round into form before the postseason arrives. Consider this a subplot to watch over the next month. 

This season, Chapman in his age-30 campaign has pitched to a 2.11 ERA/210 ERA+ with 84 strikeouts in 47 innings. Aaron Boone's squad has plenty of bullpen depth, but Chapman's swing-and-miss skills are not easily replaced.