Looks Like Jeter Back Tonight

That was a huge win last night and might just be enough to get me to start posting again. I've been extremely busy, and to be honest, this team just hasn't held my interest. However, they're in this race and this last month should be a lot of fun. Also, The Captain should be back in uniform tonight in Toronto. Here's the story from Wallace Matthews:

Jeter left the ballpark in without speaking to reporters after going 1-for-3 in a game for AAA Scranton Saturday night, and Girardi said he had not spoken to his 39-year-old captain. But from the admittedly sketchy reports he has gotten, Girardi said the plan is for Jeter to be in the starting lineup tomorrow night at the Rogers Centre.

"He’s played three days in a row and from everything I understand he felt pretty good,'' Girardi said.

Asked if he would be "apprehensive'' about how to use Jeter, who has been on the DL three times and has played just 5 games for the Yankees this season, Girardi said, "I don’t know if we can afford to be apprehensive is the thing.''

If you want to see Jeter back in action when the Yankees return home to face the Orioles this weekend you can get your New York Yankees tickets directly from the official Yankees ticket exchange. Currently, tickets can be had for as low as $15 for Friday's game, $13 for Saturday's game, and $13 for Sunday's game.

Jeter Update

From Mark Feinsand:

Derek Jeter did hitting drills in the batting cage and fielded grounders Monday, moving one step closer to a return from the disabled list.

Jeter was unsure whether he would be activated when he’s eligible Saturday, and while the Yankees seem skeptical that he’ll be ready by then, that remains the shortstop’s goal. “I’m going day-to-day, man,” Jeter said. “I want to play as soon as possible. Saturday is the first day I can play, so I want to play on Saturday. But I get it.”

Jeter said he will take batting practice and run on Tuesday, checking off another box on his rehab list.

While it may not be Saturday, Jeter will be back in Pinstripes pretty soon. If you want to see Jeter and the Yankees in person, you can always get your New York Yankees tickets right here, from SIH tickets.

Updated on Tex, Youk, and Tonight's Game

Here's an update on both injured Yankees via Bryan Hoch:

The Yankees placed first baseman Mark Teixeira on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday with inflammation in his right wrist, and are hopeful that the minimum 15 days will be enough for Teixeira to calm his wrist down. He said that it affects him most when hitting left-handed, and that allowing it time to heal should help him regain his mechanics.

New York recalled outfielder Zoilo Almonte and right-hander Adam Warren from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in corresponding moves, while designating right-hander Chris Bootcheck for assignment.

Additionally, the Yankees received an unfortunate report from Kevin Youkilis’ doctor visit in California. Dr. Robert Watkins will perform surgery on Thursday to repair a herniated disc in Youkilis’ back; he is expected to miss 10-12 weeks, according to general manager Brian Cashman.

Just awful news on both counts. This season is getting ugly fast.

Speaking of ugly, this weather blows and has forced the Yankees to postpone tonight's game. It will be made up tomorrow afternoon as part of a day-night, separate admission doubleheader tomorrow. For some more information on Yankees vs Dodgers tickets, read this post from earlier today.

Updates on Pineda, Youk & Wang

- Michael Pineda is one step closer to a return after a successful outing in the Florida State League:

- Kevin Youkilis missed Sunday's game in Seattle with lower back stiffness, but the injury isn't anything major. “It’s nothing like it was before,” Youkilis said. “Just needs a little rest.”

- And in case you missed it, Chien Ming Wang opted out of his Yankees contract last week and signed and will start for Toronto on Tuesday against the White Sox. Wang had a 2.33 ERA in nine starts at Triple-A. Personally, I would have liked to see him get a chance to start the for the Yankees.

Granderson Out At Least Four Weeks With Broken Pinky

In 8 games since returning from his first DL stint, Granderson was hitting .250 with a homer and an RBI, along with six strike outs.

Pineda Getting Closer

From Andy McCullough:

Pineda, a 24-year-old righty, threw five innings in an extended-spring game at the team’s minor-league complex in Tampa, Fla. His fastball velocity sat at 93 mph, general manager Brian Cashman said. After one more game at the complex, Pineda could begin a rehabilitation assignment, a 30-day jaunt that could lead him to the majors.

“I’m happy so far that he’s healthy,” Cashman said. “But he’s obviously got a ways to go. We’ll see. But so far so good.”

... The velocity on Thursday was encouraging: Pineda sat at 94.7 mph during his rookie season in 2011, according to FanGraphs. But Cashman cannot count on him just yet.

“He’s pitching in chain-link baseball right now, the extended-spring program,” Cashman said. “It’s good that he’s got a healthy arm and stuff. But he hasn’t gotten into the minors leagues, and he’s hasn’t moved up the ladder yet, with the higher competition. Until he’s an active player, he’s got hurdles.”

Great news. If Pineda can be the guy he was in Seattle, the Yankees will really have a starting rotation few teams can match. Add that to the great start the team has had and the injured offensive players coming back, and the Yankees may be ready to steamroll this division.

Speaking of that rotation, Andy Pettitte is working his way back from the DL. He played catch for the first time and reportedly felt "really good". He will throw again today.

Tex Could Begin Rehab Assignment on Tuesday

Granderson On His Way To The Bronx

If you want to be there tonight to watch CC vs King Felix, with Granderson possibly back in the lineup, you can get all your New York Yankees tickets right here with SIH Tickets. There are almost 200 seats still available for tonight's game with prices starting at just $10 bucks.

Youkilis Headed To The DL

From Dan Martin:

Kevin Youkilis has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a lumbar spine sprain and recalled infielder Corban Joseph from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take his spot on the roster.

The move was anticipated after Youkilis was expected to have an epidural on his lower back Tuesday and is particularly damaging since the Yankees can no longer backdate the DL stint to April 20, when he was removed from a game in Toronto.

Instead, they can only go back as far as last Saturday, since Youkilis played that day.

A second MRI exam revealed no new damage to the back Monday, but it Youkilis was still feeling discomfort.

At least it doesn't seem to be anything serious. Still, the Yankees screwed this one up, there was no reason to play him on Saturday. Brian Cashman feels the same way. “Playing him on Saturday was a mistake by everyone involved,” Cashman said on Tuesday. “He had six days off. He felt he was ready. He played. He slid into first base. He’s still balky from it.”

Jeter Out Until After The All-Star Break

Upsetting turn of events, here's the details from Bryan Hoch's Twitter:

Updates on Jeter and Pettitte

First for the good news:

Andy Pettitte went through his bullpen session without a problem yesterday and proclaimed himself “good to go” for his start Friday in Toronto.

“Everything is where I want it,” said Pettitte, who was scratched over the weekend after suffering back spasms. “They want to see how I feel after [the bullpen]. Hopefully there’s no tightness tomorrow after I worked it as hard as I did today.”

Pettitte said he felt fine during the 35-40 pitch session yesterday, but pitching coach Larry Rothschild noted his last bullpen went well in Cleveland and his back stiffened later.

“It was a good decision, so I don’t second guess it,” Pettitte said of being pushed back. “I hope I go Friday and it’s not that big of an issue.”

And now the bad:

Derek Jeter still is trying to rehabilitate his injured ankle and is not close to appearing in rehab games, making a return in early May a remote possibility at best.

After taking the weekend off to rest his ankle, Jeter has lightened his workload in Tampa as he tries to manage his recovery.

The New York Yankees have said when Jeter is finally ready to play in games, he will need close to a full spring training before he will be prepared to return to the majors.

Pettitte Pushed Back Again, Will Start Friday

From Matt Ehalt:

The New York Yankees have pushed back Andy Pettitte's next start a second time to Friday against the Blue Jays as he deals with back spasms.

Pettitte had been scheduled to pitch Saturday before having that start pushed back to either Tuesday or Wednesday, and the team is now giving the 40-year-old even more time to ensure he's healthy.

"He's better but instead of saying let's throw a bullpen today and see how he feels and then if he has a setback then Friday becomes jeopardized," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We thought let's give him until Tuesday, we feel everything will be cleared up and then we'll have him on the mound."

The Yankees will now start Ivan Nova, CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes in the three-game set against Arizona beginning Tuesday.

Pettitte had been scheduled to throw a bullpen session Sunday and will now throw it Tuesday. While Pettitte understands why he's was delayed, he'd rather pitch as scheduled.

"I'm on board to a certain extent," Pettitte said before the Yankees faced the Orioles. "I just want to pitch. I understand it."

...

"It's frustrating," Pettitte said Friday. "I had seven weeks of spring training, not one problem. It is a worry for me because I want to be healthy and I want to make my starts, but I also know that it's also a muscle spasm and if it goes away I'm going to be fine to pitch."

I'm not too concerned about this. This kind of thing happens to 40-year-olds in cold weather.

Jeter Takes BP, Fields Grounders

From Mark Feinsand:

Derek Jeter continued his road back from ankle surgery Wednesday, hitting on the field for the first time since March 23 and taking ground balls on the infield dirt at the Yankees' Tampa complex.

Jeter, who ran light sprints on Tuesday for the first time since his setback more than two weeks ago, did not speak with reporters after his workout.

Jeter ran from first-to-third on the grass just behind the infield, then reversed course and ran back to first. He repeated the exercise three times, though he was not running at full speed.

Good news, hopefully this means the May 1st target return date is somewhat realistic. Stay tuned...

Injury Updates: Jeter, Tex, Granderson, Hughes, Nunez,

Jon Heyman is reporting that Derek Jeter, Mark Texieira and Curtis Granderson could all be back by May 1st:

Yankees people are mentioning May 1 as potentially the key date in their season. The team's medical people are suggesting, at least in behind-the-scenes conversations, that May 1 could be a target date for the return of three of their missing stars: Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Curtis Granderson.

May 1 might be optimistic, and a Yankees person suggested that date may assume no more setbacks. Jeter still needs to go through several steps before he can return, starting with taking grounders. The first time he began taking grounders this spring it was still a few weeks before he appeared in a spring game. Understandably, the Yankees plan to proceed cautiously with their iconic shortstop. He is eligible to come off the disabled list Saturday, as they had hoped he could make it back by the end of the first week of the season even after opening day was ruled out.

The way things are going with this team, I wouldn't be surprised if all three were not on the field for that Astros series, but keep your fingers crossed.

As for Eduardo Nunez, he may be sidelined for a little while after getting him on the arm in yesterday's game:

This is how Eduardo Nunez’s day ended at Comerica Park yesterday.

As his teammates filed out of the visiting clubhouse after their 8-3 loss to the Tigers, the Yankees shortstop struggled to put on his jacket. Finally, after several frustrating tries, catcher Chris Stewart had to come over and help Nunez slide his aching right arm into the sleeve of his coat.

It’s bad enough when older Yankees are injured, but it’s really bad when young Yankees get hurt. Nunez was hit in the right biceps by an 88-mph fastball from Tigers starter Doug Fister in the fourth inning and Nunez fell to the ground in terrible pain. He eventually had to be helped off the field. X-rays were negative and the injury is being labeled a bruise.

“I was scared, I thought it was broken, I felt pain all down my arm,’’ Nunez said. “The pain was so bad. I felt much better when I heard the X-rays were negative, and now we’ll see how it feels.’’

Nunez said he does not expect to be sidelined long, but considering the trouble he had putting on his jacket, don’t expect him to play today against the Tigers.

Finally, some actual decent news, Phil Hughes will be activated today:

Phil Hughes will be activated from the disabled list this afternoon. It’s one of those rare moments when a player coming off the DL earlier than expected isn’t necessarily good news. It’s not necessarily bad news – Hughes is healthy, was just expected to get one more tune up — but the move has more to do with an overworked pitching staff than overwhelmingly dominant pitcher.

Update on Kuroda

If you weren't watching the Yankees 7-4 loss to the Red Sox tonight, Hiroki Kuroda had to leave the game after being hit on the middle finger of his pitching hand on a liner back to the mound. Luckily, he's OK. Here's the update via Bryan Hoch and Sweeny Murti:

Marchand: Jeter Is A Long Way From Coming Back

From Andrew Marchand:

Derek Jeter is not even hitting right now. Jeter is not even fielding right now. Jeter is not even running right now.

Jeter is not even close to getting in a minor league game or a simulated game.

So even Jeter, for all his positive traits and accomplishments, wasn't going to be ready by Saturday when he is eligible to come off the disabled list.

"He won't be ready," Yankees GM Brian Cashman said.

Cashman doesn't want to create expectations if he doesn't have to, so Cashman won't put a timetable on Jeter's return. There is a good chance the Yankees really have no idea and aren't really hiding anything.

At this point, Jeter is only doing a throwing program and physical therapy.

...

When will he be ready? The Yankees don't really know. Jeter probably doesn't know, either. It was never going to be April 6. There was always a better chance it would be May 6.

This sucks, but all it means is that Nunez is going to have to step up while Jeter recovers. Currently, there are too many easy out in this lineup and Nunez cannot be one of them.

Cashman: Jeter Will Likely Start Season on DL

From Jon Paul Morosi:

It appears likely that New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter will begin the season on the disabled list.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters Sunday that the revised goal is for Jeter to be ready April 6, according to the team’s Twitter feed. That would be the Yankees’ fifth game of the regular season, in Detroit against the Tigers (MLB on FOX, 4:05 p.m. ET). The Yankees open their schedule Monday, April 1, at home against the Boston Red Sox.

Jeter, 38, hasn’t played in a Grapefruit League game since March 16 because of inflammation in his surgically repaired left ankle. Cashman told reporters Sunday that Jeter won’t play for the next two days.

Well, that sucks, but it's the smart move.

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.

More on Jeter's Ankle

From Anthony Rieber:

Jeter, who broke the ankle in Game 1 of the ALCS last October, said he didn't think the stiffness was going to stop him from playing for the Yankees in the April 1 season opener against the Red Sox.

"Two weeks is plenty of time to get ready," he said.

However, asked when he might get back on the field, Jeter said: "I don't know. I really don't know. I wish I had an answer for you. But I don't know. I'll play as soon as I can. If I can play tomorrow, I'll play tomorrow. If it's the next day, it's the next day. But the luxury is that it's spring training."

...

General manager Brian Cashman said his level of concern on Jeter was "none." But the Yankees still sent the 38-year-old Captain to see Dr. Daniel Murphy. Results of that visit were not immediately announced.

""It's just part of the rehab of a broken ankle, which has its up and downs," Cashman said by telephone. "There's nothing new, as far as I'm concerned."

...

Jeter said he wasn't concerned about that and didn't consider Tuesday's news a setback, though it's hard to see how it isn't when he felt the stiffness after not playing since a four-inning stint at short on Saturday.

"I've had a lot of good days," Jeter said. "This is just something that happened today, so hopefully tomorrow it'll be a lot better. I don't think it's a setback."

...

"I'm not concerned because I was told this was going to happen," Jeter said. "Maybe if I wasn't told it was going to happen, I'd be concerned. From everything that I've been told from the doctors, it's normal . . . It's just stiffness, but once again it's not in the part that I broke. It's around there. So that's why I'm not concerned. I was told, 'You're going to feel it - not necessarily the ankle, but around the ankle,' just because I've been in a boot for so long."

I've seen people overreacting to this all day, and I'm not going to join that party. Jeter will be fine.

Jeter Scratched From Today's Lineup With Stiff Ankle

From Chad Jennings:

Derek Jeter has been scratched from the Yankees lineup because of stiffness in his left ankle.

Joe Girardi said that Jeter was flexing the ankle a lot during batting practice. Jeter eventually went to trainer Steve Donohue, who then told Girardi, who made the lineup change. Girardi is not sure what this means long term. Could be just a day. Could be a sign of things to come.

For now, let's not overreact to this. The guy is coming back from an ankle injury so I'm sure this was to be expected this early on in the recovery process.