Sifting through wreckage of latest bad Yankees’ injury news

The Yankees are getting more use out of their MRI machine than they are from some from their most important regulars. Unfortunately, it cannot bat cleanup or be their top setup man.

Friday delivered a double whammy, with Gary Sanchez going on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain and Dellin Betances — who was already rehabbing a right shoulder impingement in Tampa — coming back to New York for another MRI exam, the results of which were not immediately available.

And so the injured list grew to 12. It will be trimmed to 11 on Saturday, when CC Sabathia returns for his season debut, but the trend is a worrying one for the Yankees.

“It’s our reality right now,” manager Aaron Boone said before his team hosted the White Sox at Yankee Stadium. “The bottom line is we feel like, unlike any other team maybe, we’re equipped to be able to still have success through this.”

Sanchez had complained of leg tightness earlier in the week and had not caught since Monday, serving as the designated hitter Tuesday and pinch-hitting Wednesday. He said he was surprised when Thursday’s MRI revealed a “small strain,” but is hopeful he will miss only the minimum 10 days before returning to play.

While Sanchez declined to say if he fought going on the injured list, Boone said the catcher wanted to try to play through it. But the team ultimately decided it would be better to take care of the injury now instead of having it linger and turn into a longer absence.

“I was feeling fine and good to play,” Sanchez said through an interpreter. “The way you feel and where we are as a team, you want to play. You want to help out. So that is frustrating, very frustrating.

“I didn’t think it was going to be anything serious,” added Sanchez, who will resume baseball activities Tuesday.

Sanchez, who was sidelined by groin injuries last year and underwent offseason shoulder surgery, had started off well at the plate, batting 11-for-41 (.268) with six home runs and 11 RBIs. Catcher Kyle Higashioka was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to fill his roster spot while Austin Romine took over starting duties Friday night.

The Yankees are now playing without six everyday starters in their lineup as Sanchez joined Didi Gregorius (Tommy John surgery), Aaron Hicks (lower back strain), Giancarlo Stanton (left biceps strain), Miguel Andujar (right shoulder strain) and Troy Tulowitzki (left calf strain) on the shelf.

The pitching staff has been pillaged as well, and Betances marked the second setback for a hurler who already was on the injured list. Earlier in the week, Luis Severino was diagnosed with a lat strain while rehabbing an inflamed right rotator cuff.

Betances threw a simulated game Thursday, but it “didn’t go great,” Boone said. The Yankees flew him back to New York on Friday for further testing.

“Just still not feeling right,” Boone said. “Still not coming out like it needs to. He, us, thought it was best to get up here and go back to the doctor, get more images, try to get more answers and continue to alter his plan to try to get him back to where we need him.”

The Yankees entered spring training boasting one of the most dangerous bullpens in the game, but it has yet to perform like it. Betances’ absence has shifted relievers into different roles and cut into their depth as they entered Friday 1-4 with a 3.97 ERA across 45 ¹/₃ innings.

“There’s no denying how important he is to that pen and how dominant a reliever he is when he’s right and going well,” Boone said. “… It’s opportunity for what we believe are talented guys in our pen and on our entire roster to impact this.”

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