New York Yankees lose slugger Matt Carpenter to foot injury

The Yankees have not yet announced a timetable for Carpenter’s return but other players have missed 6-8 weeks with similar injuries. Los Angeles Dodgers super utility man Chris Taylor fractured his foot on July 2 and returned to the lineup Aug. 5.

Carpenter, 36, took a .307/.414/.732 batting line with 15 home runs in 46 games into Monday’s game. He hit .176/.313/.291 with the St. Louis Cardinals from 2020-21, but remade his swing over the winter, started this season in Triple-A with the Texas Rangers, got released in May, and then the Yankees signed him on May 26. Carpenter hasn’t stopped hitting since.

The injury comes at a bad time for the Yankees, who have lost 16 of their last 25 games heading into Monday. Giancarlo Stanton is on the injured list with Achilles tendinitis and is still a few weeks away from returning. Also, Anthony Rizzo is day-to-day with a back issue. Add in Carpenter’s injury and the Yankees are now without their three best non-Aaron Judge power hitters.

There are roughly eight weeks left in the regular season, so if 6-8 weeks is Carpenter’s timetable, it’s possible he won’t return until right before the postseason. Despite their recent slide, the Yankees are still in good position to secure a Wild Card Series bye, which would give Carpenter an extra week to heal prior to the ALDS.

This post was originally published on CBSSports.com → and has been reposted in its entirety with only a few superficial edits.