The path to the major leagues for Jesus Montero, not to mention Austin Romine, just got a lot easier.
New York Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli is out indefinitely with a broken foot, thanks to a foul ball off his left dog on Wednesday.
The Yankees still expect Russell Martin, who was signed last winter after being released by the Los Angeles Dodgers, to be the starter. Martin has yet to catch a spring training game, but that's expected to change as soon as Friday night.
If Martin holds on to the starting gig, as expected, it is reasonable to think that the Yankees would prefer to have top prospects Montero and Romine playing everyday in Triple-A and Double-A, respectively, while Cervelli served another year as the backup catcher.
If that plan was ever under serious consideration by the Yankees, it's up in smoke now. Cervelli will be in a walking boot for at least four weeks. Of course, the timetable for when he might actually be able to catch again flies well beyond a month.
Unless something else changes, most likely via injury or trade, expect Montero to make the team as the backup catcher and Romine to begin the season as the regular backstop at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
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