It hasn’t been too much of a spring struggle for Alex Rodriguez so far.
“Alex just picks up where he left off last year,” hitting coach Kevin Long said.
Rodriguez drilled a two-run homer in yesterday’s 6-1 Yankees win over Toronto at Legends Field, and thus far in the Grapefruit League he’s hitting .500 (7-for-14) with two homers, two doubles and four walks. Yesterday’s blast came in the first inning, a bomb to center off Blue Jays lefty Gustavo Chacin.
Rodriguez had been battling an ailing right shoulder, but he played on Monday night. When he was pinch-hit for in the fourth inning yesterday – which seemed early – it prompted concern that something was wrong.
Rodriguez wasn’t around to talk to the media afterward, but Joe Girardi insisted his superstar was okay.
“Most of the guys who started [Monday] night played four and a half or four innings today, just because night game, day game,” the manager said. “Some of them are still playing again [today].”
According to Girardi, Rodriguez will not be one of them. Rodriguez won’t play today, having played two straight.
As for the other banged-up Yankees, Johnny Damon – who fouled a ball off his right foot on Monday – had an MRI and X-rays performed on it. Both were negative. Damon didn’t play yesterday.
“Johnny just has a bruised toe,” Girardi said. “It doesn’t feel good. It’ll probably be sore and we’ll evaluate it every day and determine if he’s going to play. It was black and blue today on the top of his knuckle on his toe, and it doesn’t feel good.”
Jorge Posada also was suffering from an ailing right shoulder. Posada caught on Monday, though, and yesterday he got two at-bats as a DH.
Posada said of the shoulder, “It’s good.” He plans to catch today.
Fellow catcher Francisco Cervelli won’t be behind the plate over the next couple of months. Cervelli, who broke his right wrist on Saturday in the collision against the Rays, will have surgery today. Girardi said he believes Cervelli will be out for 10 weeks.