Austin Romine exits today’s game after foul tip to face mask

5:30pm ET: Aaron Boone said Romine “seems to be fine,” which is good to hear, but the Yankees have been overly optimistic with injuries lately, so forgive me for still being a little worried. Kyle Higashioka will catch Sunday, and with the off-day Monday, Romine will get two straight days to heal up.

2:31pm ET: This is potentially very bad. Austin Romine exited this afternoon’s game after taking a foul tip to the face mask in the fifth inning. He stayed in the game to finish the inning before being pulled. Here’s the play. It’s a direct shot to the jaw. Here’s the video:

Romine grabbed his neck and of course a concussion is always a concern as well. I have no idea why he remained in the game after the foul tip. Day game after a night game and a big lead? Why push it? What if he takes another foul tip to the face mask? Seems really unnecessary. Take care of your brain.

Anyway, the Yankees have not yet announced an update on Romine. He just exited the game a few minutes ago and I’m sure he’s going for tests. The Yankees are already without Gary Sanchez, who seems to still be more than a week away. Journeyman Wilkin Castillo and organizational depth catcher Francisco Diaz are the currently Triple-A Scranton catching tandem.