Yankees’ Sanchez on DL, no timetable for return

Yankees’ star catcher Gary Sanchez has no timetable to return to action after being placed on the 10-day disabled list Saturday night with a right biceps strain, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

Sanchez suffered the injury after fouling off a fastball in the fifth inning of the Yankees’ 5-4 loss to the Orioles. Yankees manager Joe Girardi says Sanchez, who was taken out of the game after still feeling pain following a practice swing, will have more tests done when the team returns to New York after their series with Orioles today.

For now, the Yankees have promoted Kyle Higashioka from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre to take Sanchez’s place on the roster. Higashioka will split time with Austin Romine behind the plate.

Sanchez’s injury is a big blow to the Yankees’ lineup, considering what he did last year as a rookie. He blasted 20 home runs and had 42 RBI while slashing .299/.376/.657 in 229 plate appearances. Sanchez’s instant success helped him finish second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting and give the Yankees a new face to their franchise.

This year, Sanchez has only gone 3-for-20 at the plate (.150 avg.) after he had a great spring training in which he batted .373/.429/.765 while smacking five homers and driving in 16 runs. But, he seemed to be turning his play back in the right direction after hitting his first homer in New York’s 6-5 loss to Baltimore.