WATCH CLOSELY: Derek Jeter took in yesterday’s Yankees’ loss to the Dominican Republic’s WBC team from near the dugout. (Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post)
TAMPA — It’s not likely Derek Jeter will play his first exhibition game Sunday against the Blue Jays. Jeter hasn’t run the bases at full speed yet and the game is in Dunedin.
“I will be in there as soon as I can play,’’ Jeter said. “I don’t put a date on it. That was a date [March 10] that was floated out there, but if I can play before I will play before. If it’s after, it’s after. When I am able to do it you guys know I will do it.’’
Jeter isn’t making the two-day trip to Jupiter for games Thursday and Friday with the Cardinals and Marlins.
Jeter said he knew he wasn’t going to play Wednesday against the Dominican Republic’s WBC team that defeated the Yankees, 8-2, at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
“If I could play today I would be playing today, but I still have to do a couple of things but I am getting close. I am heading in the right direction,’’ Jeter said.
Included in the shortstop’s to-do list is increasing the intensity of his base-running exercises.
“I have to run the bases at full speed. That’s probably one of the most important things,’’ he said. “All the other little things come with time and those are things you can adjust to once the games start.’’
Jeter worked extra yesterday on back-handed plays and getting the ball out of his glove quickly.
General manager Brian Cashman, who floated the March 10 date, isn’t worried about when Jeter eventually plays.
“If it happens to be longer, it’s longer. If it’s sooner, so be it, too. I’m not worried about Derek Jeter at all. He’ll be ready when it counts. … He’s the least of our concerns,’’ Cashman said.
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The original schedule posted Wednesday morning had David Robertson throwing bullpen sessions Thursday and Saturday.
Considering he couldn’t get loose in the bullpen during Tuesday night’s game, it was a red flag Robertson wasn’t going to get into a game until Monday at the earliest.
Nevertheless, the right-handed reliever said the problem with his shoulder had progressed to the point where he hopes to pitch today against the Cardinals.
Then, after the Yankees’ loss to the Dominican Republic, manager Joe Girardi said there was no reason for Robertson to be rushed into games.
While warming up Tuesday night Robertson couldn’t get loose and was shut down by bullpen coach Mike Harkey.
“It was a little achy. I threw eight or nine fastballs. I saw the doctor and he said it was fine,’’ Robertson said.
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Mariano Rivera returned to his New York home for personal reasons. According to Cashman, Rivera will make his exhibition debut Saturday against the Braves in Tampa.
The only way Rivera doesn’t pitch Saturday is if he gets stuck in New York because of the weather.
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Curtis Granderson said he feels good Girardi has scrapped moving him to left field when he returns from a fractured right forearm.
“It’s interesting that I got three outs out there and the injury happens and obviously we changed things back,’’ said Granderson, who suffered the injury when hit by a pitch on Feb. 24. “If they needed me to do it in the season I would have been fine. I am excited to get back to center.’’
Granderson said he was informed by Girardi last week in a brief conversation he was going to be a center fielder again.
As for the injury, Granderson said he has been cleared to begin riding an exercise bicycle, but doctors don’t want him on a treadmill or working out on the field because of the chance of falling.
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It is not known whether the progress Phil Hughes is making coming back from a bulging disk in the upper back will allow him to pitch during the first turn through the rotation once the season starts.
What is known is since Hughes resumed throwing a baseball Sunday, the right-hander hasn’t experienced any setbacks and is on the way to working off a mound. Hughes said he felt good following Wednesday’s workout.
If Hughes is throwing in a game by March 14 he believes he has enough time to make four exhibition starts and be ready for the first turn in the rotation. Opening Day is April 1.
Should Hughes be ready to pitch, David Phelps or Ivan Nova will be the fifth starter. If Hughes isn’t healthy, Phelps and Nova will start the season in the rotation.
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Hiroki Kuroda dominated essentially the same Dominican Republic lineup Wednesday that spanked Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels Tuesday.
In his second exhibition start the veteran right-hander hurled three scoreless innings, allowed two hits and fanned four. Tuesday, Hamels was shelled for eight runs and 12 hits in 2 2/3 innings by the DR.
“They have a good lineup. All the big leaguers are superstars,’’ Kuroda said of Robinson Cano, Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez. “To be able to get good results against them is a good feeling.’’
Kuroda retired Cano on a stress-free fly to left and said he wanted a better result. And that would be?
“I wish I could have struck him out,’’ Kuroda said.
Planted in the No. 2 spot in the rotation behind ace CC Sabathia, Kuroda said he is satisfied where his body is following two starts.
“I am where I want to be and stuff-wise I am getting there,’’ said Kuroda, who admitted he needed to tighten up the location and velocity of the two-seam fastball.
In Cano’s first game against the Yankees — something which could become routine as soon as next season — Cano went 1-for-3 with a groundball single that, fittingly, skidded by Yankees second baseman Jayson Nix. The Steinbrenner Field crowd, filled largely with flag-waving Team Dominican Republic fans, cheered loudest for Cano — though Reyes received the “Jose, Jose, Jose, Jose!” chant Mets fans popularized.
“That was fun,” Cano said. “Good to play against the guys.”
The Dominican Republic will open its World Baseball Classic schedule Thursday night in San Juan against Team Venezuela, which is managed by beloved ex-Yankee Luis Sojo.