Yanks' Betances told he won't need surgery

[September 20, 2019]    Yankees reliever Dellin Betances, whose Achilles tendon injury on Sunday finished him for 2019, at least has reason to believe he won't need surgery to repair the partial tear.

Yankees pitcher Dellin Betances (68) looks on against the Toronto Blue Jays during the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

Betances, who was making his season debut in Toronto when he injured himself jumping on the mound after striking out the Blue Jays' Brandon Drury, spent the first five months recovering from shoulder and lat issues. He threw eight pitches -- seven were strikes -- in the fourth inning on Sunday.

A second opinion on Betances' injury matched the first opinion, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told the media on Thursday.

"He'll be in a walking boot for another four weeks, and then they'll kind of re-evaluate where he is, but the belief is that he will not need surgery," Boone said. "I guess that could possibly change, but they feel pretty confident that this is something that will not need surgery."

Betances, 31, is 21-22 with a 2.36 ERA over 358 career appearances (one start) with the Yankees in seven previous seasons. He was 4-6 with 2.70 ERA in 66 relief appearances for New York last season. He was an All-Star from 2014 through 2017.

--Field Level Media

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