Yankees center fielder Brett Gardner, who left yesterday’s game with a ribcage/oblique injury, has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain and could miss the rest of the season.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi told reporters that Gardner will be out “a while” and, if he does return before the end of the regular season, it may be strictly as a pinch-runner.
Gardner has been one of the few healthy, productive Yankees this season, playing in 145 of the first 147 games while hitting .273 with a career-high eight homers, a league-leading 10 triples, and a .759 OPS.
Curtis Granderson has shifted back to center field with Gardner out, leaving Alfonso Soriano and Ichiro Suzuki in the outfield corners.
