CLEVELAND — With Saturday’s trade deadline approaching the Yankees may have a new hole to fill other than attempting to acquire bullpen or bench help.
A cyst behind Jorge Posada’s left knee forced him to miss Tuesday night’s game against the Indians and relegated him to DH duty last night.
“It only bothers me when I catch,” Posada said of the problem that first surfaced in 2006. “It’s going to be there. It’s been there for a while, it’s part of [catching].”
Posada said he will test the knee today to see if he can catch. What happens if he can’t is a question the Yankees don’t have a definitive answer for.
After a solid start, Francisco Cervelli has come back to earth, both with his hitting and his fielding. Chad Moeller is Triple-A insurance.
The list of available catchers is slim. The Mets were willing to listen on Rod Barajas before he went on the disabled list — and it’s highly unlikely the Mets would help the Yankees anyway. Colorado’s Chris Ianneta and Toronto’s Jose Molina, an ex-Yankee, might be available.
The cyst situation is the latest in a trying year for Posada, who turns 39 the middle of next month. He spent 15 games on the DL with a fractured right foot suffered in the middle of May. In late April, his right knee flared up and in early May, a right calf problem cost him four games. In 70 games, Posada is hitting .267 with 12 homers and 38 RBIs.
Posada knows that 2006 was the first time he experienced problems from the cyst. But he can’t pinpoint when it started bothering him this year.
“I can’t tell you when it happened or how it happened,” said Posada, who explained the medical staff has never suggested removing the cyst surgically. “Hopefully, I can catch [tonight]. It comes and goes. It’s back there and it usually happens at a certain part of the year.”
Posada prefers catching to being the DH, but his hitting numbers from both slots are fairly close. When he catches, he is batting .273 with eight homers and 25 RBIs in 143 at-bats, and as a DH he is at .267 going with four homers and 13 RBIs, in 86 at-bats after going 1-for-5 last night.
Cervelli was hitting .292 in late June but is down to .262 after last night’s 1-for-3 night.
As for the Yankees’ quest to strengthen their club before Saturday’s 4 p.m. deadline, the effort is moving at a slow pace because the teams with pieces to move are looking for a lot.
The Blue Jays, who are listening on a lot of players, are shopping lefty reliever Scott Downs but their asking price has been far too high to make a deal for a 34-year-old reliever who can be a free agent after the season.
Ditto Baltimore and Ty Wigginton, and it’s not known if Orioles owner Peter Angelos would approve a deal with the Yankees. The O’s are trying to create a market for Miguel Tejada without much interest.
The Yankees would love to hear the Royals were willing to move closer Joakim Soria, but according to a Royals official the right-hander is untouchable.