Caleb Durbin, the New York Yankees’ all-around prospect, is capable of handling any situation on the field. Unfortunately, this does not apply to situations that no man can handle, such as a fastball to the unprotected wrist.
It’s possible that Durbin’s biggest obstacle to a late-summer promotion to the Yankees was a badly executed Triple-A pitch at the end of May. The 5’6″ but still fearsome batter was able to participate in defensive drills on the day he was placed on the injured list, but he remained sidelined from early summer until the end of July.
The strange thing about a hand injury and the minor-league “7-day IL” is that you, as an outsider, have no idea when either will expire. Seven days might equal months. A “hand issue” could refer to any number of small broken bones.
Fortunately, despite his lengthy absence, Durbin is now officially on the mend and on track to return to the major leagues. After a brief rehab trip with the Somerset Patriots (during which he brushed off the rust, going 3-for-24), the utility guy has been cleared to return to Scranton, only one step away from the majors.
Caleb Durbin returns to the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre squad after his rehab stay.
Prior to the errant pitch, Durbin was doing everything the Yankees wanted, hitting.299 with a.413 OBP and.871 OPS, showcasing excellent gap power, and covering a variety of gaps on defence.
This season, he’s played 16 games at third base, 22 at second, eight at short, five in left, and one in centre. His powerful bat has also propelled him to the DH position five times, which is unusual for a 5’6″ scrapper.
Durbin isn’t on the Yankees’ 40-man roster, but it appears he’s on the team’s radar for a promotion, as he stated during his most recent rehab stint. He may have had a setback in the early summer, but given how smooth Jazz Chisholm looks at third base (giving a fairly accurate image of Durbin’s versatility), there isn’t much standing in his way in the long run.
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