What happened to Jake Bauers? Yankees slugger undergoing tests for shoulder injury

The frustrating and injury-plagued season for the New York Yankees took yet another hit as Jake Bauers has become the latest player to be bit by the injury bug. The 27-year-old outfielder is listed as day-to-day with shoulder soreness following a hard landing on a diving attempt during Wednesday night's loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

While it appears that Jake Bauers may be able to avoid a stint on the IL, given the season that the New York Yankees have gone through, that may be a tall order. He will be out of the lineup for Thursday's game against Baltimore. However, it is possible he could come off the bench if manager Aaron Boone needs him in a pinch-hitting role.

"The last thing the Yankees need right now is to lose outfielders -- Jake Bauers is one of their only hitters with a wRC+ above 110, let alone 100. Hopefully, the MRI returns negative, but losing him will be felt." - @FiresideYankees

Bauers has given the Yankees a boost in the outfield, even though he has lacked consistency at the plate this year. Through 49 games since being called up to the main roster, the former 7th-round pick has produced a .224 batting average with seven home runs and 19 RBIs.

While New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone has said Jake Bauers is quite sore, there is no word yet if it will require a stint on the IL or not. If the outfielder is expected to miss any considerable amount of time, Isiah Kiner-Falefa would likely be the top replacement in left field.

Jake Bauers' injury is yet another on the growing list of New York Yankees that have missed time this season

While the New York Yankees have managed to stay competitive in the American League East with a record of 48-39, they have had to do so without a healthy lineup for the majority of the season. The team has been without several key players throughout the season, making it difficult to assess the overall ceiling of the current roster.

"The same people who are telling Aaron Judge to “suck it up” over his toe injury are the same people who would be crucifying him for hitting .167 with no homers over the next month if he came back before he felt like he could." - @Jared_Carrabis

Currently, the New York Yankees are without the reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge, who is had been sidelined for over a month with a sprained big right toe. They are also without their high-profile free agent signing Carlos Rodon, who has yet to appear in a game with the Bronx Bombers.