Cashman: Sanchez out at least until late August

The Yankees expect to be without catcher Gary Sánchez until late August or early September, general manager Brian Cashman said on Wednesday.
Sanchez landed on the 10-day disabled list this week due to an aggravation of a right groin injury, sustained during Monday's 7-6 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field. Sanchez missed 20 games from June 25 to July 19 with a strain in the same area.
"Thankfully, what Gary has is a solvable health issue," Cashman said. "It's just a timing one. We'll have to wait on it, and hopefully, we will be in a better position when he returns, which will be toward the end of August or early September."
While Sanchez recovers, the Yankees project to push forward with the catching tandem of Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka. Cashman said that he is "not optimistic" that the Yankees will be able to supplement their catching depth before next Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET non-waiver Trade Deadline.
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"We're clearly now thinner with our insurance on the catching side," Cashman said. "Austin Romine has done a great job for us and I think Higashioka has done a great job coming up to be the backup. He provided some real nice pop and I think he's one of the game's best receivers, framers. That's his reputation and I think he showed that in his Major League timeframe.
"I think we're very comfortable with that duo. The question comes down to, while we're waiting for Gary's return and his health to return, we're a little bit more vulnerable in terms of the event of if we have another issue at the catching position, where do we turn to next? Like everything else, it's my job to explore and protect."

Coming into the season, Cashman would not have anticipated a cry to bolster the Yanks' manpower behind the plate -- in fact, the club dealt veteran Erik Kratz to the Brewers in late May, believing that there was only a remote scenario under which his services might be required in the Bronx.
But Sanchez has struggled in the follow-up to his 33-homer 2017 campaign, batting .188/.283/.416 with 14 homers in 66 games.
After Monday's game, manager Aaron Boone held a postgame meeting with Sanchez, seeking explanations for a first-inning passed ball that prompted a heated dugout exchange with pitcher Luis Severino and a game-ending groundout on which Sanchez appeared to jog down the baseline. Sanchez mentioned the groin issue at the end of that meeting.

Boone said that Sanchez "felt like he certainly could have given more and should have given more [of a stronger effort]," then added, "I'm going to bet on the player and the guy.
"He's not a finished product necessarily yet, but I think we're all going to be a part of helping him get there," Boone said. "When he does, I think we'll have a special player, a special person. I know deep down he really cares about his craft, his teammates."