When Gary Sanchez went on the injured list with a groin strain in late June of last season, Aaron Boone told reporters that he hoped the 25-year-old catcher would take the time to regroup mentally while he recovered physically. Through 63 games to that point, Sanchez was hitting .190/.291/.433 and had allowed nine passed balls, a high number even across a full season.



From there, Sánchez’s season would only devolve further, saddling the 2017 All-Star with a .697 OPS on the year, 18 passed balls, and questions about whether he’d be the man to start behind the plate in the postseason.



Through it all, the Yankees remained committed to Sánchez, despite Austin Romine’s proficiency behind the plate and success at the plate due to regular at-bats during Sánchez’s injured stints. Ultimately, it was a lost season for Sánchez, whose final at-bat of the 2018 campaign was a hard-hit sacrifice fly to left field against the Red...