It was not death by a thousand paper cuts for the Yankees, but almost. 

A day that began with a pair of Yankees injury concerns added another before the night was over.

He was out of the lineup for the third time in four games Monday, but it was not because of his slumping bat. 

The first stint only cost him the minimum 15 days, but the Yankees were left holding their breath Monday on the result of Cruz’s MRI exam to determine how severe his oblique strain is and how long it will cost him.