CHICAGO — Carlos Beltran will swing a bat Monday to gauge whether the cortisone he has injected and taken orally has helped the discomfort in his right elbow caused by a bone spur.
Examined by Dr. James Andrews on Tuesday, Beltran was given permission to take light swings — most likely dry hacks — to determine what the next step will be.
Beltran hasn’t swung a bat since May 12, when he removed himself from a game against the Mets at Yankee Stadium after experiencing pain in the elbow while taking swings in the indoor batting cage between at-bats.
“He is going to try and swing a bat on Monday, and if it doesn’t feel good, probably the next step is surgery,” manager Joe Girardi said before Tuesday night’s game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. “Does he feel he can take his ‘A’ swing? You don’t want him going out there if he is taking a ‘B’ or ‘C’ swing. If he can take the ‘A’ swing and not have the pain and not hold back, then he is a player.”
If Beltran can’t make it through Monday’s exercise — Girardi didn’t know where it would take place — surgery likely would sideline him 8-to-12 weeks and create an area the Yankees likely would have to address before the July 31 trade deadline despite having Alfonso Soriano and Ichiro Suzuki to play right field.
Signed to a three-year, $45 million contract after last season, the 37-year-old switch-hitting Beltran was counted on to be a productive presence in the middle of the order. Now, if surgery is required, he might be out until August.
In 33 games Beltran is batting .234 with five homers and 15 RBIs. With runners in scoring position, he is a disappointing .161 (5-for-31).
“If Monday is good, he will probably try to do something on Tuesday,’’ said Girardi, who started Soriano in right field Tuesday night for the sixth time in the seven games Beltran has been out. “He will get back to dry swings and tee and toss and progress. I don’t think he would go right into games. You have to get by each day to go to the next day. If he feels pain just taking swings, my guess is that is not a good thing.’’
Girardi is not encouraged or discouraged about Beltran’s program come Monday. Having lost Ivan Nova for the entire season, and CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda for who knows how long, the manager isn’t guessing what Monday means in the big picture.
“If he is capable of taking the next step after a fairly light day, you keep progressing, but if he isn’t, you probably have to get something done,’’ Girardi said.
Since Beltran throws with the right arm, Girardi was asked if Beltran had to toss without pain in order to be activated.
“I think you can work around the defense for a while,’’ Girardi said. “We have plenty of outfielders.’’
In addition to Ichiro and Soriano, Girardi has the switch-hitting Zoilo Almonte to play the outfield and Yangervis Solarte can fill in.
Of course, the Yankees didn’t believe Ichiro and Soriano were the answer in right field during the offseason, which is why they signed Beltran.
Now they will know more, possibly as soon as Monday, what they can expect out of their three-year investment or if they will need to find a replacement from the outside.