Edwin Encarnacion Headed to New York for Tests After Being Diagnosed With Oblique Strain

It just had to be the worst-case scenario, right?

New York Yankees slugger Edwin Encarnacion left Thursday's game in what many believed to be an instance of his wrist flaring up. That would've been bad enough, as Encarnacion went on the IL with a wrist fracture just last month, and had only recently returned.

However, things are much worse than that, as he reportedly suffered a left oblique strain.

Encarnacion will return to New York for further testing, but there's no quick way back from an oblique injury, even if it's a mild strain. Unless he can miraculously come back in short order (like Avisail Garcia of the Rays), there's a good chance his season is over.

Even at his age, the 36-year-old is a premium offensive threat. In 109 games between the Seattle Mariners and Yankees, Encarnacion has hit .244 with 34 home runs and 86 RBI, including a two-run homer on Thursday before sustaining the injury.

New York has the depth to cover Encarnacion's absence (after all, they very recently did), but this isn't something to look past and shrug off. Unless Luke Voit and/or Giancarlo Stanton stabilize the middle of this lineup, they're certainly down a few threats, especially if they face off against the Houston Astros in October.