Derek Jeter has had a lost season in pinstripes due to a multitude of injuries.
Credt: Reuters
Derek Jeter was out of Sunday’s lineup and is likely out Monday in Baltimore and possibly again Tuesday due to concern about his surgically repaired left ankle.
It was the latest development in what manager Joe Girardi termed his “worst season ever.”
“Probably his worst one ever for him to have to live through this,” Girardi said. “And you can probably go back to when he started when he was 6 years old because he loves to be out there and he loves to compete and this is his time that he probably loves being out there more than any and it’s been difficult for him.”
The Yankees lifted Jeter for Mark Reynolds after he got a hit in the sixth inning Saturday due to how he was running. Jeter was sent for a CT scan after the game.
Though the good news was the CT scan was negative, the Yankees sought out a second opinion from Dr. Robert Anderson, the Charlotte-based doctor who performed the surgery last fall after Jeter initially was injured in Game 1 of the ALCS against Detroit.
If Jeter winds up on the disabled list, it will be his fourth trip there this season. He made his season debut July 11 against Kansas City and injured his quad running to first base. After returning July 28 against Tampa Bay and hitting a home run on the first pitch he saw, Jeter injured his right calf and did not return until August 25 in Toronto.
Jeter has missed 126 games this season and is hitting .190 (12-for-63). He has started at designated hitter four times while playing shortstop 13 times.
“The good thing is the CT scan came back negative and it’s not a quad or a calf, it’s just his ankle’s a little sore,” Girardi said. “Yeah there’s concern, but it’s something that he’s had to deal with all year and we’ll continue to manage it.”
At this point, the team has not considered shutting down Jeter for the rest of the season, though it could be possible if the injury worsens.
“Not right now, with the CT scan coming back normal, right now it’s just give him a couple of days and see where we’re at,” Girardi said.
Jeter has not addressed the latest developments but in conversations Girardi said the Yankee captain seems accepting of his status.
“He’s been dealing with it,” Girardi said. “He understands it. I know he’s frustrated and he wants to be out there and it’s tearing him up inside but I think as much as he doesn’t like it and wants to be out there, I think he understands our point of view about trying to give it a couple of days to calm down and see where we’re at.”
Bullpen hit hard in nearly lost weekend
The Yankee bullpen has been hit hard by the Red Sox bats and from a physical point of view.
Basically the bridge to Mariano Rivera was unavailable for the final two games due to varying physical ailments.
Shawn Kelley, a week removed from struggling in the seventh inning against the Orioles, had not been available the entire series due to a triceps injury before pitching the seventh inning Sunday.
David Robertson had one his worst outings Tuesday against the White Sox by nearly blowing a five-run lead. He returned the next two eighth innings, including Thursday after the Yankees took an 8-7 lead in what became a 9-8 10-inning loss.
A day later, an MRI found Robertson had right shoulder tendinitis, which meant he would be out for these three games and likely all of the series in Baltimore.
“It’s pretty much the worst timing,” Robertson said Friday. “It stinks. I want to be out there.”
Before officially returning, Robertson has to take the usual steps of throwing a side session and playing catch.
If that wasn’t bad enough, left-handed setup man Boone Logan, who has a 10.13 ERA over his last six appearances spanning two weeks is unavailable due a left arm injury. It was initially diagnosed late Friday night as biceps discomfort but Saturday the Yankees said it was inflammation in his left arm.
Logan appeared to suffer the injury during the at-bat to Mike Napoli, who hit the game-tying grand slam in the 12-8 loss.
“I’ve been going through soreness all year long starting in the spring,” Logan said. “I just felt a little tightness kick in. I wasn’t gonna do anything about it at the time. I was just trying to finish the at-bat and try to get out of that inning, and it didn’t happen.”
Logan had a cortisone shot Saturday and is hoping for a Friday return when the team is in Boston.
Red Sox coping with injury to Ellsbury
The Red Sox may be flying high, scoring a barrage of runs and hitting a bunch of home runs while trying to put the finishing touches on their first AL East title since 2007, but they spent Sunday afternoon discussing the tests center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury underwent on his foot.
After the game, they said that Ellsbury is out at least a week with a compression fracture.
The foot was initially hurt in the seventh inning Aug. 28 against Baltimore. Ellsbury fouled a ball off his foot but stayed in and scored a run before being lifted.
He reinjured it stealing second before scoring on Shane Victorino’s game-winning single in the 10th. The Red Sox said they were hoping treatment would improve things but Ellsbury was in a boot Saturday and headed to Colorado for further consultation with Dr. Thomas Clanton at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colo.
Ellsbury is hitting .299 with eight home runs, 52 RBIs and a major-league leading 52 stolen bases and leads the team with 89 runs scored. He also is entering free agency and several teams could be in line to give him a multi-year contract.
“Jake’s frustrated,” manager John Farrell said Saturday. “He wants to be on the field. He feels like he can play right now. But at the direction of the medical people, we have to be careful of this. … I can tell you this: Jacoby wants to be on the field. He’s kind of pissed he’s not here right now to be honest with you.”
Follow Yankees beat writer Larry Fleisher on Twitter @LarryFleisher.
