If, to invert the cliché, baseball season was a sprint and not a marathon, a couple of Yankees and Mets stars probably already would have pulled hamstrings.
The Yankees are expected to open the season Thursday with three-fifths of their starting rotation — Carlos Rodon, Frankie Montas and Luis Severino — and more than half of their ideal pitching staff — including relievers Lou Trivino, Tommy Kahnle and Scott Effross — on the injured list. Not to mention center fielder Harrison Bader’s absence.
The Mets will be without starter Jose Quintana until at least July and without closer Edwin Diaz for the season. The lineup includes a lot of the same names who combined to hit .185 and managed eight runs during a short stay in the 2022 playoffs, especially with top prospects Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez shipped to the minors and near-addition Carlos Correa swinging for the Twins.
Opening Day is supposed to be that magical time when even fans of the hapless Athletics can look at the standings and think, “This is our year!” But already there is a sense of pessimism around New York about potentially slow starts and what early losses might mean in terms of the Yankees falling behind the pitching-fortified Blue Jays and pesky Rays, and the Mets losing ground to the powerhouse Braves and Phillies.
