MLB Spring Training 2012: Derek Jeter out Until Next Week with Calf Injury
March 16, 2012 · Kenny DeJohn · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
It has been reported that Derek Jeter will miss at least a week with an injured left calf.
The 37-year-old missed almost a month of action last season when he injured his other calf.
Manager Joe Girardi has made the smart decision to be very cautious about Jeter’s injury. He wants to make sure that his aging shortstop is 100 percent for the regular season, with no nagging injuries to haunt him.
“My alarm was he hurt his calf last year and even though it is the other calf, we are going to be smart about this,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “I told him, ‘Don’t even go outside today.’ I think he could hit or take BP, but just let it calm down.”
Girardi claims that Jeter’s possible return date could be Tuesday, but he would be smart to wait until later on in the week. The Yankees need to be certain that their captain is rested and ready for the long haul.
Spring Training has been cruel to Yankee shortstops thus far. Eduardo Nunez missed more than a week after being hit by a pitch on the hand and Ramiro Pena hurt his ankle while sliding into second base on a steal attempt.
With Nunez solidifying himself as the team’s reserve middle infielder, Pena’s injury doesn’t figure to hurt the team. Nunez, who is expected to get semi-regular at-bats this season, can really hurt the team if his scheduled batting practice this Saturday does not go well.
Jeter and Alex Rodriguez will need regular rest this season, and Nunez figures to be the guy who spells them a few times per week.
Jeter, who does not like to sit, had a conversation with Girardi after the injury:
“I tried to prep him before I told him he wasn’t going to probably play until Tuesday. I said, ‘remember what happened last year first.’ I think he understands what happened last year.”
There’s no doubt in anybody’s minds that Jeter will be itching to get back onto the field, even in Spring Training. He wants to play, and he wants to be a part of the teams’ successes.
He better take the rest seriously, though, as the last thing the Yankees need in 2012 is another month without their captain.
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