TAMPA — Jacoby Ellsbury could get back on the field Tuesday in a minor league game in his attempt to return from a calf injury that has kept him out since March 14.
When asked Sunday if he still had any discomfort the center fielder said his tight right calf “felt good.” He was able to run the bases, take batting practice and throw from the outfield, and will take advantage of Monday’s off-day before returning to action.
“Each day it’s gotten a lot better,” Ellsbury said before the Yankees’ 3-1 loss to the Blue Jays at Steinbrenner Field. “It’s just getting back in a game. At this point you don’t want to feel anything in the calf. I play center field: I run the bases, I use my legs. I want to get it 100 percent.”
Girardi said the Yankees would prefer Ellsbury get in a minor-league game before appearing in a major-league spring training game. Doing so would also allow the team to backdate a disabled list stint if Ellsbury winds up aggravating the injury in the game.
And with the weather forecast questionable for Tuesday, Ellsbury could be limited to DH duty to limit the chances of suffering a setback. He figures to need three or four games to get ready for Opening Day. After a slow start to the spring, he had begun to look better at the plate before reporting the calf tightness.
Ellsbury has continued to insist he could have played through the injury, but the Yankees have preached caution with a player who frequently had to battle physical ailments while with the Red Sox.
In Ellsbury’s absence, Brett Gardner remained in left field, while Ichiro Suzuki played center again. Ichiro has been on the trade market since the Yankees signed Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran, but the team is open to holding onto him as a spare part in the outfield.
Dellin Betances made the most significant impression out of the bullpen Sunday when he got out of a bases-loaded jam by getting Toronto’s Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion after lefty Cesar Cabral got into trouble. But Betances is not the only reliever who has gotten Girardi’s attention this spring.
Cabral had pitched well until a rough appearance Sunday, when he walked two and gave up a hit.
“We have a lot of close competitions here,” Girardi said. “I have some tough decisions here.”
And like the fifth starter role, the pen should be sorted out soon.
“They have pretty good arms,” Girardi said of the pen. “We’ve had some kids step up and throw the ball pretty well. It will get much clearer on Tuesday.”