LIVING ON THE EDGE: If the Yankees’ injured stars return and are productive, Travis Hafner’s days of playing at Yankee Stadium may be behind him. (
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In explaining why he signed Raul Ibanez over a lefty-swinging DH group that included — among others — Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Jason Giambi, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman emphasized Ibanez’s familiarity and ability to play the field regularly.
The way Cashman figured, the 2012 Yankees would benefit from having at least that option. It seemed such a ludicrous statement at the time, particularly because Ibanez was such a limited fielder.
Yet, that ability to play the corner outfield on a below-average but not killer level was vital to last season’s Yankees, because it gave manager Joe Girardi an outfield option with Brett Gardner missing most of the season due to an elbow injury. And it did not tie up the DH slot, which was critical with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez needing more days in the lineup, but off the field. Rodriguez (38 games) and Jeter (25) actually started more games at DH than Ibanez (23).
And assuming they can ever get back and stay healthy — definitely no sure thing — Jeter and A-Rod are going to need the DH respite more than ever (In fact, A-Rod came up with a tight quad yesterday in his Triple-A rehab).
Thus, Travis Hafner’s inability to play the field is about to become a larger issue around the Yankees. In fact, there are scenarios in which Hafner simply will be released, unless he regains value by recovering his power stroke.
It is going to be difficult at their ages and coming off their injuries for Jeter and Rodriguez to play the field day after day. In addition, that age/injury combo is going to compromise the duo more than ever range-wise. The idea of having both on the left side of the infield day after day hardly is going to be get-happy news for the pitching staff.
So you could see the Yanks trying to alternate as much as possible — Jeter plays short, A-Rod DHs; A-Rod plays third, Jeter DHs. In the recent past, they would try to time DH days for either when the Yanks were facing lefties. And they still would do that as often as possible if Hafner were hitting well.
But after a renaissance month and a half to open the season, Hafner hit .174 with four homers in his final 37 games of the first half. In his first action after the All-Star break, Hafner was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts yesterday as the Yanks had a relative breakout of 12 hits and five runs in a 5-2 triumph over Boston. One scout who watched Hafner before the break said, “His body and swing have gone dead.”
Play a 25-man construction game: If the injured players who are supposed to come back do by, say, the first or second week of August, the Yanks’ eight positional regulars would be: Francisco Cervelli, Lyle Overbay, Robinson Cano, Jeter, Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson, Gardner and Ichiro Suzuki.
If the Yanks go with 12 pitchers and 13 position players, that means there would be five more position players. One will be
a backup catcher (Chris Stewart — or Austin Romine if Cervelli doesn’t make it back). Because of the fragility of Jeter
and A-Rod, the Yanks will have to carry two backup infielders — likely Jayson Nix and Eduardo Nunez. That leaves two slots.
One will go to a righty-hitting outfielder, probably Vernon Wells, since Granderson, Gardner and Ichiro are lefties. That leaves one roster position.
It could be for Hafner. But what would be more valuable for the Yanks, Hafner or Zoilo Almonte, who gives them a switch-hitter who can defend and run a bit. However, his near future is clouded by an ankle injury that sent him to the DL yesterday.
The wild card could be Adonis Garcia, a Cuban defector who has missed much of this season with injury. The Yanks were excited about him in spring training and the righty-hitting outfielder is back and hitting well at Triple-A. He also is working out at second and third base to try and increase his value.
Then there is this: If the Yanks remain in the race for the next few weeks, then Cashman’s history of finding small pieces at the trade deadline to address holes will come into play. And the Yanks’ lack of a righty-hitting complement to Overbay has been glaring all season.
If the Yanks are to obtain this year’s Steve Pearce or Casey McGehee, then Hafner’s roster spot becomes even more tenuous — again, unless he returns to being a threat.
Of course, Hafner would not even be a Yankee had the team simply re-signed” Ibanez, who is making that decision look bad with 24 homers and also by playing the field (55 games) more than he DHs (15) even at age 41.
Ibanez wanted to return. But Cashman said he deployed the same strategy last offseason that had worked well in recent years. He emphasized locking up the Yanks’ priority players first then seeing how much money was left from Hal Steinbrenner’s budget for other items.
Last offseason, the keys were viewed as Hiroki Kuroda, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera, and — when it was discovered that A-Rod needed a second hip surgery — Kevin Youkilis.
In previous years using that philosophy, the Yanks cherry-picked useful players late in the offseason such as Eric Chavez, Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia and, yes, Ibanez. But Ibanez got an offer from Seattle, where he lived, and went early in the offseason. And so the Yanks turned to Hafner.
However, the way their bonus structure works, Hafner actually has out-earned Ibanez to this point — $3 million to $2.76 million — though both potentially have more than $1 million to make in bonus provisions.
Of course, Hafner cannot earn any of those extras if he is not on the roster — and that is now a greater possibility.
joel.sherman@nypost.com