Encarnacion (wrist fracture) to injured list

NEW YORK -- It is approximately 1.8 miles from Yankee Stadium to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, a trip that has become intimately familiar this season. Edwin Encarnación became the latest Yankee to make that trek on Saturday afternoon, and like far too many before him, the news was not good.

A CT scan revealed that Encarnacion sustained a hairline fracture of his right wrist when he was hit by an 87.1 mph slider from Josh A. Smith in the eighth inning of the Yankees' 9-2 victory over the Red Sox in the first game of Saturday's separate-admission doubleheader.

"For me, it's frustrating, especially when I started feeling better at the plate and seeing the ball better," Encarnacion said. "It's tough."

Encarnacion was placed on the 10-day injured list, with first baseman Mike Ford recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Though the Yankees completed a twin-bill sweep with a 6-4 win in the nightcap, that victory may have come at a significant price as well, with Aaron Hicks injuring his right elbow on a sixth-inning throw to third base. Hicks was placed on the injured list on Sunday with a right flexor strain.

Hicks caught Christian Vazquez's fly ball and threw on a line to third baseman Gio Urshela, drawing applause as he held runner Sam Travis at second base. Hicks said he felt pain in the elbow and reported it later to head athletic trainer Steve Donohue, exiting for a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning.

"I was able to make a good strong throw and I just kind of felt a little pain," Hicks said. "I played two innings after that, but I just wasn't able to make the same throw and throw the ball hard. That's when I told Steve and got out of the game."

Hicks said he has not experienced elbow issues before.

"Look, any time your guys go down, it's frustrating," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "It's tough. You feel for them. We've dealt with this all season long. The next-man-up [approach] has served us really well. We'll pick those guys up and hopefully in both cases they're back sooner rather than later. In the meantime, it's another opportunity for someone else to impact our club."

The Yankees said Encarnacion will remain in New York during the upcoming road trip and will be re-evaluated by doctors in the next seven to 10 days, with a further rehab timeline to follow that evaluation.

"I hope [it is] no more than three weeks," Encarnacion said. "We'll see, but I hope that. ... They didn't tell me exactly. They said maybe three, maybe four, maybe five. It depends."

With Encarnacion shelved, duties at first base figure to be mainly handled by DJ LeMahieu, though Ford logged five starts there (and four at DH) during an early-season stint with the club.

Due to Hicks landing on the injured list, Brett Gardner could see regular duty in center field, with Mike Tauchman and Judge playing in the outfield corners. The Yankees could also promote outfielder Clint Frazier, who has been in Triple-A since the middle of June.

"It's kind of crazy," Hicks said. "Guys come back, somebody else goes down. It's tough, but we've been dealing with it this whole year, and we've been able to still win."