Though not quite Fernando Tatis Jr. getting a haircut, Aroldis Chapman now finds himself out of commission for an extremely unusual reason.
The New York Yankees placed their star reliever Chapman on the 15-day injured list this week (retroactive to Aug. 24). In their release announcing the move, the team revealed Chapman had come down with an infected wound from a recent tattoo session.
Prior to tonight’s game, the Yankees placed LHP Aroldis Chapman on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to 8/24) with an infected wound from a recent tattoo.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 27, 2022
Yankees manager Aaron Boone added that the infection was in Chapman’s leg, calling it “pretty bad.” Boone also said the team was treating the veteran left-hander with “antibiotics and things like that,” per ESPN’s Marly Rivera.
In his age-34 season with the Yankees, the seven-time All-Star Chapman has struggled. He lost the closer job to Clay Holmes back in May, went on the injured list with Achilles tendinitis, and had posted a 5.40 ERA in 19 appearances since returning (mostly in a setup role).
Now Chapman, who will be a free agent after the season, is on the shelf once again, this time with a much more absurd ailment. Those tattoo parlors can be surprisingly dangerous though. Just ask this fellow MLB player.
