The New York Yankees placed OF Andrew Benintendi on the IL due to right wrist inflammation, per Bryan Hoch. The Benintendi injury comes at a bad time, as the Yankees have struggled as of late and their AL East lead is declining rapidly.

The Yankees held a lead of over 15 games just a few weeks ago in the division. But they now lead the Tampa Rays by only 5 games and Toronto Blue Jays by 7 games. This division will be decided in September, which is surprising since New York seemingly had it wrapped up in July.

One of the main reasons for New York's recent frustrations has been their lack of offensive production. Aaron Boone and the team were hoping Andrew Benintendi could help Aaron Judge turn things around on offense down the stretch.

Concerns immediately developed after Aaron Boone said Benintendi felt a “pop” in his wrist during an at-bat. The outfielder underwent an MRI on Saturday which ultimately led to the IL designation.

The Yankees acquired Andrew Benintendi from the Kansas City Royals prior to the MLB trade deadline. Benintendi was hitting over .320 with the Royals before the deadline deal. However, he's hit just .246 with a .323 OBP in 33 games with the Yankees since. Additionally, Benintendi has struck out 25 times during that span. In 93 games for Kansas City, the outfielder struck out just 52 total times.

Nevertheless, he will be missed. His timetable is unclear at the moment. The Yankees are certainly hoping to have Andrew Benintendi back sooner rather than later. This is a ball club that could use any kind of offensive production possible right now.