ST. PETERSBURG – Juggling wasn’t part of the job description when Joe Girardi interviewed to be the Yankees’ manager last fall. The brass wanted to hear the former catcher’s views on strategy, handling young pitchers and what his coaching staff was going to look like.
Well, 13 games into the season Girardi has juggled his lineup and roster more than the clown juggles balls at the county carnival.
Yesterday, Girardi awoke knowing he wasn’t going to have stud setup man Joba Chamberlain, who was in Lincoln, Neb., to be with his father Harlan, who was in critical but stable condition at St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center after collapsing Sunday night. Harlan was struck by polio before he was a year old and uses a motorized cart to get around.
Joba was put on the bereavement list and is expected to miss at least three days. There is no limit to how many days a player can spend on that list.
“He will be back when the time is right,” Girardi said of baseball’s best setup man and the pitcher who has turned the Yankees’ bullpen into the club’s strongest unit.
Plugging the hole Chamberlain’s departure created wasn’t the only dilemma facing Girardi’s Yankees, who broke a two-game losing streak against the improved Rays at Tropicana Field with an 8-7 victory. Right-handed reliever Jonathan Albaladejo was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take Chamberlain’s roster spot, but it’s not likely Girardi will trust him with the eighth inning. Wilson Betemit, who has been battling conjunctivitis since spring training, was placed on the 15-day DL to make room for catcher Chad Moeller, who was elevated from SWB to start last night since Jorge Posada’s right shoulder wasn’t strong enough for him to throw and Jose Molina’s left hamstring wasn’t well enough for him to run.
On the good news front, Derek Jeter returned to short after missing six games with a strained left quad.
As for Chamberlain, who heard the horrifying news on a cell phone message after Sunday night’s loss in Boston and flew with the team to Florida before making his way to Lincoln, he issued a statement through the team.
“As many of you know, my family is dealing with a serious, personal medical condition involving my father Harlan. He is currently in critical but stable condition. We cannot express how much we appreciate the enormous amount of love and compassion that has been shown to my family by so many,” Chamberlain said. “I also want to thank my teammates and manager for giving me so much support when I have needed it the most. Their actions are the reason I was able to reach my father’s side as quickly as I did. I ask that you please afford my family the privacy that it needs to deal with my father’s condition appropriately. In turn, I will provide updates through the Yankees as they become available to me.”
Moeller, who was cut by the lowly Nationals in spring training and signed when Yankees prospect Francisco Cervelli fractured his wrist, hit eighth last night.
Fed up with watching, Jeter was obviously pleased to be back at short even if he knew the leg wasn’t 100 percent.
“I am happy to be playing again and I hope everything is all right,” Jeter said. “But I don’t see why it wouldn’t be. I will still run hard but I will be cautious.”