Yankees' Aroldis Chapman hits IL with infection from leg tattoo
The New York Yankees will be down Aroldis Chapman for at least two weeks, and the reason why is a classic weird baseball injury.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters on Saturday that Chapman is hitting the 15-day injured list due to a leg infection from a tattoo, according to ESPN's Marly Rivera. The move was officially announced, complete with explanation, about an hour later.
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Chapman has not pitched since Aug. 19. Boone reportedly believed Chapman would be available for the Yankees' game on Thursday against the Oakland Athletics, but the infection apparently worsened from there. Fortunately, Chapman, who is currently undergoing antibiotic treatment, is expected to return this season.
The tattoo in question was reportedly a portrait of his sister.
The trip to the IL is another rough break in a season full of them for Chapman, who currently holds a 4.70 ERA and 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings, both career lows, in 30 2/3 innings. He lost the closer position in May when he was placed on the IL with Achilles tendinitis.
Chapman has struggled since returning from that Achilles injury in early July, posting a 5.40 ERA in that span.
It's an odd injury for Chapman, but not especially odd in the grand scheme of bizarre injuries this sport has seen. Here's a limited sampling of the last decade or so:
