Andy Pettitte came back to the Yankees for a chance to pitch in another postseason, but if he has any more issues with his fractured left ankle, that opportunity could be in jeopardy.
“I know that now if I have another setback, we’ve got serious problems and the season is probably over,” Pettitte said Tuesday before the Yankees’ 3-0 victory over the Rangers in The Bronx. “So now we’re probably going to be overcautious.”
Results from an X-ray taken Monday were encouraging and Pettitte said he felt good, but the lefty admitted the swelling he had last month when he tried to rush his comeback was severe enough to keep him off his feet.
“Right now, it looks like it set me back 10 days, I would say,” Pettitte said. “I wasn’t able to walk. When I came back from Seattle [on July 26], I had a hard time getting around and I was shut down.”
He has been limited to work in the pool and light throwing, something he would like to change soon, since the delay could prove harmful to his playoff readiness. There’s no timetable for when he’ll get on a mound, but whenever he does return, he still will need to get back to where he was when he took a line drive off his leg against the Indians on June 27.
“I would say if I could get on a mound Sept. 1, right around there, it would be a pretty quick rush job,’’ Pettitte said. “I would think that would give me 2 1/2 weeks to get ready. Do I have an idea where my arm strength is going to be? I don’t.”
Time will likely be of the essence, but manager Joe Girardi said he “plans on getting [Pettitte] back.”
The manager knows what’s at stake.
“You have to watch Andy every step of the way and make sure he doesn’t do too much,” Girardi said. “I think if he were to have a two-to-three-week setback, you’d be in trouble.”
Pettitte will have to be ready to throw 100 pitches if he’s going to be considered for the postseason, according to Girardi.
“I want to get back [because] it looks to me like teams are playing good,” Pettitte said. “We’re right in the mix of this thing. It’s not like we’re heading into the postseason for sure already.”
He has had experience with this kind of situation in the past. Two years ago, he missed most of the second half with an injured groin and returned for three starts before the playoffs.
Pettitte’s performance was mixed leading into the 2010 postseason, but he delivered two excellent performances that October.
“I’ve been there, done that,” Pettitte said. “But there’s a lot of unknowns. I had a little more innings under my belt.”