MLB

Hal calls meeting with Yankees’ scouts to discuss lack of minor league talent

Hal Steinbrenner summoned his baseball people to a Tampa meeting yesterday to discuss something other than the Alex Rodriguez saga.

With questions about the lack of talent in the minor league system ready to help at the big league level, Steinbrenner gathered his department heads.

General manager Brian Cashman attended and the group more than likely included Tampa based minor league head Mark Newman, Damon Oppenheimer, who is in charge of the amateur draft, and Donny Rowland, the director of international scouting.

When injuries hit in spring training the Yankees were forced to trade for Vernon Wells, whom they are paying $11.5 million this year and sign Ben Francisco and Brennan Boesch off the street.

During the season they took in 4-A players such as Reid Brignac, Luis Cruz, Thomas Neal, Alberto Gonzalez, Travis Ishikawa, Brent Lillibridge and Chris Nelson. All were found wanting by other clubs and none distinguished themselves as Yankees.

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Toward the end of July the need for a right-handed bat led to a trade with the Cubs for Alfonso Soriano, who cost the Yankees about $6.8 million. The latest signing was Mark Reynolds, who was released by the Indians.

From the minor league system the Yankees elevated David Adams, Corban Joseph and Melky Mesa. Only Zoilo Almonte played well before spraining an ankle July 19 and hasn’t been seen since.

With Vidal Nuno, Michael Pineda and Manuel Banuelos hurt the Yankees are very thin in the starting pitching depth at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

* Derek Jeter played in a simulated game yesterday at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, but he did not run the bases, so his return to the Yankees from a strained right calf remains unclear.

Although the shortstop did run sprints in the outfield and faced a minor-league right-hander, running the bases remains a hurdle before he can play in rehab games if the Yankees believe he needs them.

“My guess is that he will do simulated games and maybe a couple of games in the minor leagues, possibly,” manager Joe Girardi said in Boston Sunday. “Or maybe just simulated games, but it will be more than one.”

Jeter showed signs of progress in the field yesterday, making a pair of leaping throws on backhanded plays and two spin moves on balls up the middle.

This will be the 39-year-old’s fourth attempted comeback of the season. He returned in spring training from the surgically-repaired fractured left ankle he suffered during the first game of last year’s ALCS. Then he fractured the ankle again during spring training.

When he finally recovered from that, Jeter quickly strained his right quadriceps before going down again with the calf injury.

He has been limited to five games in 2013 and he’s 4-for-19 with a homer.

* Eduardo Nunez left Sunday’s win over the Red Sox with a tight right hamstring he suffered when he jammed his foot into first base getting back to the bag.

“This year is very important for me,” Nunez said before his most recent setback. “I’ve had to learn to play every day. It seems like all year, something has been bothering me. It’s been horrible.”

Girardi said it could be a Grade 1 strain. Considering Nunez missed two months with a strained left oblique muscle that wasn’t considered serious when it happened, he could be sidelined and give Jayson Nix more time at short.

Nunez is hitting .248 but in the past 11 games he is hitting .357 (15-for-42). In the past six he is batting .375 (9-for-24).

* Reynolds is still adjusting to life as a platoon player.

“It’s tough for anyone who is used to playing regularly to come off the bench,” said the right-handed-hitting corner infielder, who figures to start the second game of today’s doubleheader against Toronto lefty Mark Buehrle. “Hopefully I can hit well enough to force [Girardi’s] hand a little bit.”

And he’s not ready to accept not playing every day.

“I’m only 30,” Reynolds said. “I’ve played every day my whole career, but that’s where I’m at right now.”

— With AP