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Brian Cashman and His Yankees Are Bombarded With Injuries Right Now
It’s mid-June and the injury bug has hit the Yankees hard in the third month of the season. The baseball season is said to be a grind at 162 games and the New York Yankees are truly feeling their older age on this veteran team after a plethora of injuries have hit the starting lineup, pitching staff and bullpen. The latest casualty being “The Captain,” Derek Jeter, who was in pursuit of his 3,000th hit later this week. He would be the only member of the 3,000 hit club to accomplish this feat solely in Yankee pinstripes. The next player looming for the DL could be Russell Martin who had a bounce back season to start here in before suffering a back injury while lifting weights after a game against the Boston Red Sox last week.
Just a few days ago the Yankees lost both Joba Chamberlain (Tommy John surgery) and Bartolo Colon (hamstring). Other injuries for the Bronx Bombers have included the likes of Phil Hughes, Rafael Soriano, Pedro Feliciano, Damaso Marte and Eric Chavez. These are just some notable star players.There’s no crying in baseball and injuries are just part of the game. Ask last year’s Boston Red Sox team that won 89 games despite a flurry of injuries. Brian Cashman is working with a $200 million dollar payroll and can look to deal whenever he wants to, but this year he’s got his work cut out for him because there doesn’t look to be a big market right now and this aging Yankees club doesn’t look to be getting healthy any time soon.Brian Cashman joined ESPN New York with The Michael Kay Show to discuss the latest status of Derek Jeter’s calf injury, Derek Jeter’s pursuit of 3,000 hits playing a factor on whether or not he’ll go on the DL or not, the status of Russell Martin’s injury, Jorge Posada being a catcher again, Phil Hughes’s minor league start, getting Rafael Soriano or Pedro Feliciano back this year and the Yankees as presently constituted making the playoffs with the injuries the team has suffered.
Latest you could tell us on Derek Jeter’s injury status?
“Nothing from last night. He has a grade one strain of the [right] calf. We’ll give Derek a chance to show us what he’s got here early today, but we are going to wait and see what the pre-game brings to us.” (Editor’s note: Derek Jeter has been placed on the 15-day DL.)
Does Derek Jeter’s pursuit of 3,000 hits have any effect on your decision at all to put him on the DL?
“No. Not at all. No. It has no relevance.”
What is the status of Russell Martin? Is headed to the DL?
“He is day-to-day with the back. I don’t think at this stage that we are looking at a disabled list for him, but at the same time we did play him two days ago and he just didn’t look right, so he’s tough. He’s a tough guy. He’s not going to tell us too much I don’t think. He’s kind of like Derek the same way. They are wired in a way that he is going to go high octane thinking he could play through anything. I was talking to him yesterday. In the winter time after that massive hip surgery he was coming back from you know he was pulling like a 500 pound sled for distance. He’s pretty intense and so that same type of intensity will make him think he can play through something and in many cases he probably can. The results were the results. He didn’t look good two days ago when we started him. He looked like he was trying to play through a back issue, so we put that behind him because we know what type of player he is when he is healthy. ”
Can Jorge Posada ever be an option to catch again?
“Yeah if there are some injuries. When I announced Jorge going down to the DH spot in the winter time and when I met with Jorge I told him that we haven’t taken his catching gear away at all. We just told him our intention was to go with the kids [Jesus Montero and Austin Romine] at that time and then we signed Russell Martin and obviously he needs to be prepared to catch because the best laid plans can go to waste or we could have injuries. We are in a position obviously if we need to…yeah Jorge is a catcher. Yeah he is designated hitting, but he can catch. If we need him to catch we expect him to.”
How was Phil Hughes minor league start yesterday? What’s the report?
“Phil was good. He was up to 93 mph. He pitched mostly at 92 mph. He pitched four innings, two hits, six strike outs, no walks, so we’ll follow the radar report and it’s quite possible that he’ll pitch Sunday for Staten Island and go up to 65 pitches. It was a good day.”
Do you have any hope of getting Rafael Soriano or Pedro Feliciano back this year?
“Yeah there’s some hope. I think more so with [Rafael] Soriano less so with [Pedro] Feliciano. Feliciano is a wing and a prayer. He’s trying to get back from something that the odds aren’t in his favor, but it doesn’t hurt to try, so he is going to try defy the odds, but I don’t expect to see Feliciano back, but you are going to go through the motions and see how that takes. It’s possible, but it’s highly unlikely. In Soriano’s case we do expect him back. Hopefully his rehab will go well.”
If you can’t make any deals to improve the bullpen or the lineup right now can the Yankees as presently constituted make the playoffs?
“Yes. [Michael Kay: Even if you don’t make any deal?] Yeah. Look at our record. If the season ended today are we in the playoffs. [Michael Kay: Yes.] Yeah so you’re question just got answered.”
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