Derek Jeter made progress yesterday in rehabilitating his strained right calf, but that didn’t provide the Yankees with a clear picture of when they will get their captain and shortstop back from the disabled list.
Jeter ran for the first time since going on the DL with a Grade 1 calf strain, and although both he and the team were encouraged with the exercise, there is no set date for his return.
“I have no idea,” general manager Brian Cashman said when asked if Jeter might return this weekend at Citi Field against the Mets in the second round of the Subway Series.
One thing isn’t going to happen: Jeter will not be activated in time for tomorrow night’s game against the Brewers at Yankee Stadium on the first day he’s eligible to come off the shelf.
By professional athletes’ standards, Jeter’s workout at the Yankees’ minor league complex in Tampa wasn’t much. However, it was the first time he ran since limping off the field June 13 after flying out to right field in a game against the Indians.
“Everything is good, it’s a step in the right direction,” Jeter said following the workout.
Jeter took 30 batting practice swings against former Yankees hitting coach Gary Denbo and took seven ground balls on the infield grass before a thunderstorm hit. When the rain ended, Jeter played catch and ran in the outfield.
He ran three light sprints, backward and side to side.
Minor league head Mark Newman, who wasn’t in Tampa, got reports from his staff that Jeter moved without a limp, which was encouraging.
“We will see how he feels [today] and do more running [today], but it was a step in the right direction,” Cashman said. “[It] was a good day.”
Early in the process, manager Joe Girardi strongly hinted that Jeter likely would require at least one minor league rehab game, and possibly two, to make sure he was ready.
Because Jeter will only run today, the earliest he could play in a minor league game would be tomorrow. If he needs two, he could play tomorrow and Thursday and rejoin the Yankees on Friday night at Citi Field.
However, that may be getting ahead of reality.
It will require making a roster move — likely with Ramiro Pena — to open a spot for Jeter, so the Yankees want to be sure he is ready. Then there is the 3,000-hit plateau looming. Jeter is six hits shy of the magic number, and it’s no secret the club would like for him to get it in The Bronx.
However, the Yankees play three games at Citi Field and then three more in Cleveland before returning home on July 7 to open a four-game series against AL East nemesis Tampa Bay.
One thing is certain: Whenever the 37-year-old surfaces, he will play shortstop and bat leadoff.
“He has been our leadoff leader all year,” is Girardi’s stock answer to the question of where Jeter will bat upon his return.
Girardi understands Brett Gardner and Nick Swisher have been solid (.311 batting average; .348 on-base percentage) leading off in Jeter’s absence, but . . .
And, although the Yankees are 9-3 with Eduardo Nunez at short and he is hitting .293 (12-for-41) in Jeter’s absence, he has made three of his nine errors since Jeter went down.