Last season, the Yankees caught the injury bug early and never quite got over it. Key players went down in spring training, and others continued to get sidelined throughout the year. This season the team hoped to get off on a different foot, but the familiar cloud hanging over the team’s health reappeared when it was announced that James Paxton underwent surgery to remove a cyst in his back in the beginning of February.
Paxton’s recovery time was estimated to be around three to four months, putting him in line for a June debut.