Ellsbury shut down from baseball activities

Outfielder's headaches return as he recovers from concussion

June 3rd, 2017
Jacoby Ellsbury will see a neurologist when the Yankees return to New York. (Getty)

TORONTO -- The Yankees have shut down from all baseball activities after he reported his headaches returned. The outfielder will see a neurologist when the team returns to New York.
Ellsbury was eligible to be activated from the 7-day concussion disabled list on Thursday, but his return date is now unknown. Ellsbury has been hitting in the batting cage and running in the outfield, which prompted his symptoms to return.
"I was just telling him, 'You've got to be right,'" Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "I know it's frustrating. Sometimes it's tough when you have a concussion. You've just got to be careful and do the right thing. I know he's frustrated. He wants to come back. I told him, 'You can't come back if you're not healthy.'"
Ellsbury sustained the concussion after crashing into the center-field wall at Yankee Stadium on May 24, robbing the Royals' of an extra-base hit. He has also been receiving treatment for a neck sprain, and Girardi said that Ellsbury will do nothing but rest.

"We definitely miss Jake," Girardi said. "As I told him [on Friday], I said, 'We've just got to get you healthy.' These things, you can't predict. It's not a broken bone -- when you say it'll heal in six weeks or it's a Grade 1 strain where you say a guy is going to be back in two [weeks].
"We don't know. Sometimes it'll feel good, and then the increased activity will hurt you. So far, that's what has been his problem."
has hit safely in six straight games entering play on Saturday and figures to continue getting regular playing time in center field with Ellsbury on the disabled list. Ellsbury is batting .281/.349/.422 with seven doubles, four homers and 14 RBIs in 39 games this season.
First things first
While Greg Bird continues his Minor League rehabilitation assignment at Class A Tampa, Girardi elected to start at first base on Saturday against the Blue Jays over struggling veteran Chris Carter, and said that "you've got to think about" doing so more regularly.
Carter snapped a 0-for-18 skid with a third-inning double in Friday's 7-5 loss to the Blue Jays, and has not been able to take advantage of his opportunities in the lineup.
"It's been up and down, but I felt good the last few days and just haven't gotten hits," Carter said. "[On Friday], I finally got one and felt like I had good at-bats the rest of the game, too."
In 39 games, Carter is batting .182/.281/.336, with three doubles, a triple, four homers and 14 RBIs. He has struck out 47 times in 110 at-bats.

"He's been a guy that has hit a lot of home runs and he's going to strike out," Girardi said. "He hasn't hit as many home runs as maybe [in] some months he has in the past. It's a tough game, we're in a tough division, you face tough staffs. He hasn't been quite as productive as we thought, but he still has 14 RBIs in [110] at-bats. [When] you [project] that over a season, it's not 100, but it's not terrible."
Closing time
(left rotator cuff inflammation) threw a light side session of 15 pitches on Saturday at Rogers Centre and said that he felt good. Chapman will throw one more side before aiming to pitch a simulated game next week. Girardi said that an estimated return around June 15 would be a "pretty fair" guess.