Alex Rodriguez Is a Welcome Sight to Injured Yankee Lineup
July 19, 2013 · Anthony Giudice · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
It is no secret that the New York Yankees have been riddled with injuries this entire season. It seems like Murphy’s Law is in full effect for the Bombers right now—anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. This was evident when Derek Jeter suffered a quadriceps injury the very same night he made his season debut on July 11th and was placed on the 15-day disabled list.
With injuries to many members of their starting lineup, Jeter, Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira and Francisco Cervelli, just to name a few, the Yankees could really use a boost.
They just might get that boost in the form of Alex Rodriguez.
A-Rod is eying a return to the lineup as early as Monday for the Yankees’ game against Rodriguez’s former team, the Texas Rangers.
Having missed the entire 2013 season so far due to hip surgery and recovery, Rodriguez is sorely needed in the middle of the Yankees’ lineup.
At the start of the second half of the season, the Yankees’ fourth and fifth spots in the batting order have combined for a dismal 11 home runs and 72 RBI. These positions are usually reserved for the team’s power hitters, but the power has been noticeably absent from the Yankees’ lineup this year.
Although Rodriguez has been sub-par the last few seasons, he is more than welcome to join the Yankees’ struggling batting order. Even if he is half as good as he is capable of being, he will inject some sort of power into the middle of the lineup.
As of right now, the collection of third basemen the Yankees have used to man the hot corner have a combined .255 average, .589 OPS and only four home runs and 25 RBIs. Rodriguez should be able to produce those numbers and better.
If the Yankees decide to place Rodriguez in the DH spot, he can outperform the designated hitters the Yankees have used thus far. The DH position for the Yankees has produced a combined .214 batting average with only 14 home runs.
Even with all of the injuries, the Yankees are still 51-44, but are down in fourth place in the AL East. Although they are in fourth place, they are only six games behind division leading Boston, and three games out of the final wild-card spot.
The Yankees come out of the All-Star break with a three-game set against the Red Sox in Boston, followed by four games in Texas against the Rangers. If the Yankees can hold their own against these teams, they have a good chance of catching up in both the Wild Card and division races.
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