Jeter May Be Headed To The DL

Yeah, so remember the other day when I said Jeter would be fine? Well that might not be the case:

Instead of opening the season at shortstop, Derek Jeter could wind up opening it on the disabled list.

General manager Brian Cashman acknowledged the possibility yesterday after Jeter had a cortisone shot to recover from inflammation in his left ankle.

“We can’t rule it out till we see how the next 10 days go,” Cashman said before the Yankees beat the Red Sox, 4-0, in a Grapefruit League game at Steinbrenner Field. “We’ve got to do what’s right for him. … I’m not saying he’ll be DL’d, but I can’t tell you he won’t be.”

After sending Jeter for X-rays and an MRI exam Tuesday, the Yankees consulted with doctors in North Carolina, who performed the surgery on the shortstop in October. He likely will have to stay off the field until at least the weekend.

“It’s not a surprise,” Cashman said of the development. “His rehab’s gone extremely well, but after the back-to-back [games at shortstop], it barked a little bit. We’ve just got to back off. … I don’t think it’s anything serious. I think it’s a timing issue.”

...

“There is a reason [manager] Joe Girardi has played Eduardo Nunez at shortstop the entire spring,” Cashman said. “It was in the event if we ever have any issues as we move through this stuff, we’ll have someone ready to go.”

I still think Jeter will do whatever it takes to be on the field by Opening Day, but this should still be a concern. Hopefully it's not something he has to deal with all season.