How Matt Carpenter's injury affects Yankees' lineup moving forward

Matt Carpenter was in the middle of a magical comeback season for the Yankees, a revitalizing surge to a career that looked to be at its end. But one foul ball off his back foot in Seattle on Monday might have just ended that impressive run for the lefty. 

The Yankees announced that Carpenter fractured his left foot in his first at-bat, forcing Tim Locastro to take his place in the outfield for the remainder of the game. 

Carpenter doesn't believe his season is over just yet, saying after the game "I’m hopeful that I can come back and contribute." However, a foot fracture is typically in the two-month range for recovery. There's a chance he could return in time for the postseason, but who knows just how well he's going to recover? 

But there's no need to explain how much Carpenter impacted this Yankees lineup. Fans have been loving that .305/.412/.727 slash line with 15 homers and 37 RBI in just 47 games. It's unfathomable really to see what he's been able to do after being on the brink of hanging his cleats up. 

The Yankees, in the meantime, have to be able to fill that void, which is easier said than done. Carpenter's been hitting third or fourth in the order most nights now, and with Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton currently unable to play, guys like Josh Donaldson and Gleyber Torres have to step up.

Long term, though, this Carpenter injury is an unfortunate answer to a question that was certainly going to come Aaron Boone's way, if he hasn't been thinking about it already.

If and when Stanton returns -- there is a chance it's by the end of this week -- the Yankees have a bit of a logjam in the outfield, though he could return to that primary DH role. It would make sense to avoid anything else with that Achilles injury.

The logjam was always the case when Andrew Benintendi was added to the mix. He joined Aaron Hicks, Aaron Judge and Carpenter out there.

Locastro is the likely casualty if Stanton were to be activated off the IL. That's an easy call for GM Brian Cashman.

But let's not forget about Harrison Bader, the Gold Glove center fielder the Yankees traded for just before the deadline. Bader, who is dealing with plantar fasciitis, is expected to be an immediate fixture in center field for the Yankees upon his return.

If Carpenter were still in the fold, this would've created a tough problem for Boone. 

Granted the Yanks do make Stanton DH more often than not, so Boone will still have four outfielders to worry about -- Bader, Hicks, Judge and Benintendi.

It's always a good problem to have, too many good players. Boone is just going to have to ride the hot hand at the dish, and this allows his players to get extra rest heading into the postseason, too.

The hot hand was Carpenter, though. He more than earned his at-bats, which is why the Yankees were willing to test him in the outfield just to make sure he had a spot each night.