Brian Cashman calls Travis Hafner “a field-goal kicker.” In that case, the Yankees’ designated hitter has been an in-his-prime Morten Andersen here in 2013.
If Hafner has proven a particularly valuable specialist, however, he still is the fragile commodity the Yankees signed quietly over the winter, his meager $2 million salary reflecting the lack of market interest in him. And that’s what manager Joe Girardi keeps in mind as he tries to guide his broken-down team back to the postseason.
The Yankees squeezed out another victory last night at Yankee Stadium, 5-4 over the lowly Astros, as some savvy sixth-inning baserunning by Lyle Overbay gave his club the edge it needed and canceled out a discouraging game by new fifth starter David Phelps. In raising their record to 17-10 overall and a perfect 5-0 in one-run contests, the Yankees took the two out of three games they needed to against Houston (8-20), tied with Miami as baseball’s worst team, in order to keep their unlikely cause moving forward.
Among many surprising contributors, the most crucial arguably has been Hafner, whose offense has helped make up for the injury-induced absences of Francisco Cervelli, Curtis Granderson, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis. Therefore, it would greatly behoove the Yankees to keep Hafner, whose injury history is worse than any of the guys currently inactive, healthy and off the disabled list.
They must walk the tightrope between going with the hot, upright hand and riding Hafner into oblivion.
“Well, I think it depends how many days in a row he’s (gone), in a sense,” Girardi said yesterday of Hafner, who went a quiet 0-for-3 with a walk. “This’ll be his fifth day in a row. I’m OK with that as the DH. We’re in a stretch of 16 days in a row like we’ve been. If he had played in every one, I probably wouldn’t be OK with it. Five days doesn’t bother me.”
Girardi placed Hafner, who is unlikely to log a single inning in the field this season, in the fifth spot last night against Astros left-hander Erik Bedard. Hafner has now started the Yankees’ last two games against lefty starters after not starting the first five such games.
The 35-year-old started seven straight games from April 3 to April 9, so a fifth consecutive start should be manageable. It’s just getting more attention right now because Hafner has established himself as such a crucial component. And also because, since then, Cervelli and Youkilis had to be deactivated, leaving the Yankees more vulnerable. Following last night’s game, they announced the acquisition of Chris Nelson from Colorado. Nelson, a third baseman, will at least prevent Jayson Nix from collapsing of exhaustion.
Hafner’s 17 RBIs rank him second on the Yankees, one behind leader Robinson Cano. His .429 on-base percentage and .638 slugging percentage pace the team. Though it’s not at all reasonable to expect him to maintain that pace, the Yankees simply hope to maintain his good health.
“I do everything I can [to stay healthy],” Hafner said. “I lost 20 pounds. I feel good. I don’t feel stiff or sore, stuff like that. It’s not something I’m concerned about.”
When it comes to Hafner, you can pretty much set your watch to him getting hurt at some juncture. The last year he made it through an entire campaign, 2007, his and CC Sabathia’s Indians bested Joe Torre’s and Roger Clemens’ Yankees in the American League Division Series.
Hafner says he can make it through the grind of a season without being secured in bubble wrap each night. Though he concedes durability hasn’t been his strength, he breaks his issues down into two categories: His right shoulder bothered him from 2008 through 2010, limiting him to just 269 games in that span. What has occurred since — a right oblique strain and strained tendon in his right foot in 2011, then right knee surgery and lower back inflammation last year — resulted from “sliding, [bleep] like that,” the veteran said.
For sure, the Yankees could lean less on Hafner if they actually started getting players back, rather than losing more. Granderson tallied a couple of at-bats in extended spring training games yesterday in Tampa, and Teixeira hit off a tee as well as soft toss in the Stadium batting cage, both signs of progress.
What matters to the Yankees is they keep Hafner available and productive all the way through. After all, when is a field-goal kicker more valuable than in the playoffs?