TAMPA — Derek Jeter took swings off a tee and fielded 55 ground balls hit slowly in his direction at the Yankees’ minor league complex Monday and to him, this prelude to spring training isn’t much different than normal.
“When I start baseball activities, I do what I did right there,” Jeter said while sitting in his car outside the complex.
Jeter stayed on the infield grass throughout the session and has yet to move laterally on the field or take grounders on the dirt — all of which he insisted was standard procedure since position players don’t report until Feb. 17.
“The first week or two, I don’t get off the grass,” said Jeter, who doesn’t anticipate running until spring training officially gets underway. “Even if I could run right now and I got the green light to do absolutely everything, I would have done the same thing I did today.”
Both he and GM Brian Cashman have said throughout the offseason the shortstop will be brought along more slowly as he rehabs from surgery on his left ankle and they have yet to plot out an exact roadmap.
“I probably won’t be out there playing the first game,” Jeter said of the Feb. 23 spring training opener against the Braves in Orlando. “I guess we have to sit down with our trainers and doctors to see what our plan is when I start playing games.”
But he remains confident he is heading in the right direction.
“You’ve got to progress and I’ve been progressing just fine,” Jeter said. “Now, it’s whenever I start running and doing those kinds of things. Once everything is where it’s supposed to be, then you just get in baseball shape, which really doesn’t take that long, I don’t think.”
His primary focus remains being back at short for the Yankees’ regular season opener versus the Red Sox.
“The goal is April 1 when we start our season, so I’m right where I need to be,” Jeter said.
Whether the team is where it needs to be is another question and one that Jeter isn’t prepared to answer yet, although he likes last week’s addition of lefty DH Travis Hafner.
“I’ve played against him for quite some time,” Jeter said. “He’s had a lot of success in Cleveland. But with our organization, I don’t pay too much attention til we get over to spring training. I still remember… when we traded for [Roger] Clemens, it was right before spring training started, wasn’t it?”
He professed no knowledge of an impending move and reiterated his belief this aging Yankee team is “experienced” and not “old.”
“I’ve heard it before,” Jeter said. “Regardless of how old anyone is, it’s our job to come here and be ready to play and help us compete. We’ve been able to do that pretty successfully over the years. Our plans don’t change.”
As for his own future, he’s got a player option for 2014 worth at least $9.5 million with an $8 million base and $1.5 million in incentives earned so far, but he insists he’s not thinking about it.
“Next year?” Jeter said. “I’m trying to make it through this week.”