JAYSON NIX
Hurt his hamstring. (NY Post: Charles Wenzelberg)
MINNEAPOLIS — In a year in which injuries have crippled the Yankees at several positions, shortstop has taken the biggest hit.
Derek Jeter hasn’t played a game yet because of two foot fractures. Eduardo Nunez played 27 games, went on the disabled list May 6 and hasn’t been seen since due to a strained left oblique. Reid Brignac’s bat was so ill he was sent packing.
Now, Jayson Nix, who has started 40 games at short and 24 at third base, is nursing a right hamstring injury serious enough to keep him out of last night’s 7-3 win over the Twins at Target Field.
“I tweaked it after the double, it’s just something there and I want to keep it under control,’’ said Nix, who doubled in the ninth inning Monday night and remained in the game for the final three outs.
Nix said the discussion he had with the medical staff centered solely on last night. However, Nix’s absence meant Joe Girardi, who is carrying 13 pitchers, had only Vernon Wells and Austin Romine as extra players. Neither is an infielder. Alberto Gonzalez started at short and David Adams at third.
“His hamstring is a little tight, day by day,’’ Girardi said of Nix, a utility infielder pressed into far more action than he or the club could have imagined at the start of the season. “It’s not what you want. It tests your depth. It’s something you have to deal with. Right now there are no tests planned.’’
Girardi noticed Nix manipulating the leg awkwardly in the dugout after doubling and scoring Monday night.
* With Girardi watching, Wells spent yesterday afternoon launching batting practice pitches from Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long into Target Field’s second deck and spraying line drives as he and Long worked on getting the slumping right-handed hitting outfielder to use his lower half more.
Wells, who singled twice against Twins lefty Scott Diamond Monday night, hasn’t started against a right-hander since June 16. Zoilo Almonte has taken Wells’ place in left field against righties.
“You look at the way ‘Z’ is swinging the bat, and he needs to be in there,’’ Wells said of the switch-hitter who went 1-for-4 last night and was hitting .333 (14-for-42) in 13 games’s action. “Until I get back to swinging the bat and doing what I am capable of doing, I will be facing lefties more times than not.’’
On May 15 Wells was hitting .301 with 10 homers and 23 RBIs, and was one of the main reasons the Yankees didn’t get buried early in the AL East playing without a bevy of stars. He’s now batting .228 with 10 homers and 31 RBIs.
Throughout the slide, Girardi has mentioned how he likes the swings Wells is getting against lefties, a group against whom Wells is hitting .295 (31-for-105) with three homers and 12 RBIs. Against right-handers, Wells is .186 (31-for-167) with seven homers and 19 RBIs.
* Mark Teixeira underwent right wrist surgery Monday and was encouraged by what the doctors told him.
“Successful surgery. Doc said it couldn’t have gone better,’’ Teixeira tweeted.
“Looking forward to watching my teammates tonight versus the Twins.’’
* The Twins presented Mariano Rivera with a chair made of broken bats prior to last night’s game. It was Ron Gardenhire’s idea after watching him shatter bats throughout his Hall of Fame career. The bats belonged to Torii Hunter, Denard Span, Michael Cuddyer, Chuck Knoblauch, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer.
* Girardi said he doesn’t have a date to give Ivan Nova a start. Nova, who threw 73 pitches Saturday in relief of David Phelps, is available tomorrow for bullpen duty.