Carlos Beltran insists the bone spur in the right elbow and tightness in the forearm affect his throwing but not swinging, yet they could be a reason the switch-hitter is batting .218.
From all appearances, Brian McCann is as healthy as a catcher can be almost three months into a six-month grind playing the physically toughest position in the game.
So, has a very pedestrian start to a Yankees career taking a toll?
“It seems to happen when he has a couple of good at-bats and then for whatever reason, he will have an at-bat that doesn’t go so well and it will affect him and get to him a little bit,” hitting coach Kevin Long said. “I certainly understand. The biggest thing with McCann is when he has had some good at-bats and doesn’t get rewarded and then he has a bad one and it seems to snowball.’’
McCann starts Friday night’s action against the Red Sox hitting .223 with eight home runs and 34 RBIs. Those numbers aren’t what the Yankees expected when they signed McCann to a five-year, $85 million deal.
Asked if playing in New York has figured into the numbers for a seven-time All Star, Long stated the obvious.
“New York is a tough place because there are always questions asked about performance and at-bats,’’ hesaid. “What he has to understand is that when you are going through stretches when you are swinging the bat well and feel good at the plate, regardless what the results are, you have to stand behind it. That means you are moving in the right direction. You are pretty much doing everything you want to do except getting a hit.
“He will learn that as he goes along. There is nothing else you can do. I am sure there are people that will write stuff that you are not doing your part and you are not swinging the bat and there are going to be times when that is certainly the case. And there are going to be times when you are swinging the bat good and not getting results.’’
When McCann, 30, left Atlanta he arrived in The Bronx with a reputation as being accountable and understood the responsibility that goes along with being a veteran. Asked if that made the hitting woes tougher to take, McCann shook it off.
“No, it’s tough on anybody when they aren’t playing the way they should be playing,’’ McCann said.
CC Sabathia went through a light pitching exercise off a mound at the Yankees’ minor league complex Thursday and participated in pitcher’s fielding plays in preparation for pitching in a minor league game Saturday.
The glow of halting a four-game losing streak Wednesday night in Toronto was dimmed when the Yankees didn’t get home until 5 a.m. Thursday morning due to severe rain storms shutting down East Coast airports.
As of 1 a.m. the Yankees were still in the visiting clubhouse of Rogers Centre. Fortunately for them Thursday was a dark day on the schedule.
When Jacoby Ellsbury was caught trying to steal second base in the ninth inning Wednesday night, it stopped a 13-for-13 stretch for him. Prior to Wednesday, Ellsbury hadn’t been nabbed since April 19 by the Rays.