Yankees Prospect Shot In Hip During Alleged Robbery Attempt

Yankees minor leaguer Thairo Estrada was shot in his right hip last week in Venezuela during what he says was a botched robbery at a restaurant. Manager Aaron Boone said he was recovering quickly, and should be available for the “bulk of the season.”

Estrada, the top shortstop in the Yankees system and Baseball America’s ninth-ranked overall prospect on the team, said he was eating when two teens with guns demanded his money and phone. He said he didn’t have either, and that’s when he was shot. Estrada went to the hospital for surgery, though the bullet is still inside of his hip. Boone said he’s in pain from the wound, but Estrada said, “I don’t think it will affect me at all.”

“The situation out there (in Venezuela) is not very good, not very safe,” Estrada said. “As baseball players, it makes you think about not even going back anymore.” The 21-year-old Estrada is expected to continue playing in Double-A, where he hit .301 with six homers last season.