Matt Holliday to the DL, Yankees May Already Have Their DH of the Future

With Matt Holliday landing on the disabled list with a lower back injury, Joe Girardi said the New York Yankees will rotate everyday players into the designated hitter spot. But do they already have their DH of the future?

Matt Holliday has been placed on the 10-day disabled list with a left lumbar strain, according to the Yankees PR Department.

The @Yankees have placed DH Matt Holliday on the 10-day D.L. (retro to 8/5) w/ a left lumbar strain & recalled 1B Garrett Cooper from SWB.
— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) August 6, 2017

This will be Holliday’s second stint on the DL this year after missing time with a viral infection.

Since returning from his viral infection, the 37-year-old has really struggled and his best baseball may be behind him.

Luckily for the Yankees, they might already have their DH of the future on their roster.

Gary Sanchez has struggled behind the plate. He leads the league in passed balls and has looked lazy at times.

The 24-year-old got an earful from Girardi after Friday night’s game. The Yankees manager called Sanchez’s season “decent” and said, “He needs to improve. Bottom line.” Those are not ringing endorsements for his young slugger.

El Gary has had a solid season at the plate despite struggling behind it. The Yankee backstop is hitting .265 with 17 HR and 52 RBI.

Making Gary Sanchez the Yankees permanent DH would allow him to focus on his hitting and hopefully get him to stop chasing curveballs in the dirt.

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 27: Gary Sanchez (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

I understand that this may seem rash but I think it’s worth a shot, especially with Holliday hitting the disabled list. Holliday is also a free agent at the end of the year, so if the experiment works out, Sanchez could be the DH next year as well.

The issue with this idea long-term is Sanchez’s potential replacements behind the plate.

Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka are both respectable backup catchers but they don’t bring enough offense to the table to be everyday starters.

Of course, Gary Sanchez could still catch when needed but if the Yankees wanted to commit to him as the DH long-term, they would need to get someone with a little more pop to start ahead of Romine and Higashioka.

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The Yankees could luck out again because there are a few options in free agency this offseason that could help solve their problem.

Alex Avila, Jonathan Lucroy, and Kurt Suzuki could all be starting catchers for the Yankees, even if it’s just long enough for Gary Sanchez to work on his defense.

Alex Avila is hitting .271 with 12 HR this year. His left-handed swing would fit well in Yankee Stadium. Avila is a nine-year veteran and would be a nice stop-gap at catcher for New York.

Jonathan Lucroy is having a down year but he’s a .280 career hitter and was one of the best offensive catchers in baseball when he was with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Kurt Suzuki is hitting .261 with 12 HR this season. He is also one of the better defensive catchers in baseball with a .994 career fielding percentage.

Lucroy may be looking for a decently expensive contract but Avila and Suzuki should both be willing to sign cheaper short-term deals.

Signing a stop-gap catcher to start ahead of Austin Romine or Kyle Higashioka should help Gary Sanchez’s overall development. El Gary could focus on his hitting, which is already a strength, and would be able to work on his defense on the side without mental lapses or laziness costing the Yankees.

Next: An Early Look at “Win Now” Yankees’ 2018 Starting Rotation

The Yankees should take advantage of Matt Holliday’s injury by getting an early start on the Gary Sanchez at DH experiment.

It could do El Gary and the New York Yankees both a lot of good.

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