The LoHud Yankees Blog

This really wasn’t a surprise judging by the concerns Joe Girardi brought up, but Derek Jeter has been placed on the 15-day DL. Ramiro Pena is the corresponding roster move.

It’s raining by the way, now at 6:23. The tarp is on the field.

Update, 7:01: We aren’t going to start on time. But they are about to take the tarp off.

Update, 7:08: The approximate start time will be 7:40.

Derek Jeter just met with us. He said he will continue to try to plead his case to not go on the DL, but that he understands that decisions have to be made.

“I’m hoping I don’t have to go,” Jeter said. 

“It’s a little sore. It almost feels like I got hit by a pitch.”

Jeter said he had been feeling soreness for a few days.

“You play through the season, you have soreness all over the place,” Jeter said. “I thought it was normal soreness.”

He said he really felt it running off the field after the top of the fifth Monday and thought it was a charley horse. He tried to stretch it in the on-deck circle, then he felt it grab running to first on his flyout.

Girardi is concerned that Jeter will sit out, then immediately reinjure it and be lost for a longer period. That’s what happened with Alex Rodriguez last season. Girardi said Jeter could be out a week at the mininum. The Yankees may not be able to afford to wait because they have a six-game trip coming to  the NL parks where there won’t be a DH in play and they will need to use their bench more often.  

Whatever happens at 6 when there’s a big meeting with Dr. Chris Ahmad, 3,000 is on hold.

“I guess the timing wasn’t very good,” Jeter said. “It’s a little bit frustrating. But even if I wasn’t at this point, I’d still be frustrated. I don’t like not to play. Whether it’s going for 3,000 hits or 100 hits, it really doesn’t make a difference to me. I’d rather be out there playing. I’m disappointed because I know a lot of people were looking forward to maybe getting an opportunity to see it, especially here this week. I feel bad for that. But hopefully in time that day will come.”

The Yankees will be down two starters. Russell Martin is available in an emergency, according to Girardi. Martin still has the lower back stiffness suffered while lifting weights last week. Girardi said that if he needed a catcher behind Francisco Cervelli, he would still go to Martin over Jorge Posada. Martin said he thinks he will be good to go in a few days.

Ramiro Pena will be activated tonight. Either Jeter will go on the DL or a pitcher will be sent down.

The options for Thursday night’s start vs. Texas are down to Hector Noesi and Triple-A righty David Phelps.

Also, Adrian Gonzalez has overtaken Mark Teixeira at first base in the latest All-Star voting.

No decision on whether Jeter will have to go on the DL until after Joe Girardi meets with Dr. Chris Ahmad at 6. He will be out at least a week, Girardi says. Ramiro Pena will be activated either way.

Jorge Posada has been moved to first and Mark Teixeira will be the DH. No announcement yet on Derek Jeter, but Ramiro Pena has a locker, so maybe that’s an indication.

1. Gardner LF
2. Granderson CF
3. Teixeira 1B
4. Rodriguez 3B
5. Cano 2B
6. Posada DH
7. Swisher RF
8. Nunez SS
9. Cervelli C
Sabathia P

Phil Hughes pitched in extended spring training this morning. Although the AP story has him at 50 pitches, the Yankees official line has him throwing 49 pitches, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out six. There’s no official innings count because it was intrasquad, but the AP has him throwing three innings, one of which included five outs.

Here’s the AP story out of Tampa.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New York Yankees starter Phil Hughes took another step forward in his rehabilitation program for a shoulder injury, throwing 50 pitches Tuesday against minor leaguers in a camp game.

Hughes has been out since April 15 because of inflammation in his right shoulder. He threw 36 strikes in an outing at the Yankees’ spring training complex.

Hughes pitched three scoreless innings, including a five-out second. He struck out six, walked one and allowed two hits. His fastball reached 93 mph and averaged around 91.

The right-hander said the current plan is for him to throw 65 pitches Sunday for Class-A Staten Island.

“I thought it was encouraging today,” Hughes said. “I’m happy about that. I was throwing strikes. The other thing, and the biggest thing, is velocity and making sure that I feel good. So, I was satisfied with those three major concerns that I have.”

An All-Star last year when he went 18-8, Hughes was 0-1 with a 13.94 ERA in three starts this year. He struggled to reach 90 mph with his fastball, though the team initially chalked it up to the cold weather and his penchant for slow starts.

“Feeling a lot better,” Hughes said. “Feel like the ball is coming out pretty good. So that’s all I can ask for at this point. Just trying to build up. Make sure I don’t have any setbacks and have a positive day everyday.”

Hughes was counted on to anchor the starting rotation this year with CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. He had a 4.19 ERA last year, but his performance dipped in the second half and carried over into this season.

Tonight
LHP CC Sabathia (7-4, 3.15)
vs.
RHP Alexi Ogando (7-0, 2.10)
7:05 p.m., MY9

Wednesday
RHP Ivan Nova (5-4, 4.30)
vs.
LHP Derek Holland (5-1, 4.41)
7:05 p.m., YES Network / ESPN

Thursday
TBA
vs.
LHP C.J. Wilson (7-3, 3.09)
1:05 p.m., YES Network / MLB Network

Jorge Posada is batting .339 since the whole flap at the Boston game May 14 when Joe Girardi tried to drop him to ninth in the order and Posada declined to play. There could be a correlation.

“I think everything kind of came to a head for Georgie on that day,” Girardi said. “I think he was able to release some frustration, and it was probably good for him. It was probably good for all of us. He’s continued to work. He’s put good at-bat after good at-bat. It’s turned around for him. We believed he was going to hit. It just took a little bit longer this year than it has for some other guys, but he’s swung the bat great.”

Posada went singled in four at-bats in the 1-0 loss to the Indians Monday night. So he has hit in a season-high seven straight, matching his longest streak from last season. The 39-year-old DH is batting .538 in this latest stretch, at 14 for 26. He actually had started to hit better even before May 14. Since May 8, he’s batting .333 (24 for 72) with five doubles and six RBI in 23 games.

The problem for him now is that Texas has two lefties going in the final two games of the series and then there are six straight games in NL parks, negating the DH. We’ll see if Girardi starts him against one of the lefties. Posada is batting .094 from the right side, now 3 for 32 after starting 0 for 27.

Derek Jeter coming out of a game? Mark Teixeira knew it wasn’t good.

“You hate to see it, especially Derek,” Teixeira said after the Yankees lost 1-0 to close this Cleveland series. “He’s not one to come out of the game unless it’s something serious.”

Just six hits short of 3,000, just three games left on the homestand. Joe Girardi wasn’t counting on a miracle comeback for tonight against Texas.

“It’s unfortunate because the fans here were really looking forward to him getting 3,000 at home,” Teixeira said. “We were all, too.”

It could be known later today whether Jeter has to go on the DL with the Grade 1 calf strain suffered running out of the box on his fifth-inning flyout, according to Girardi. Alex Rodriguez had to go on the DL with a calf strain last season.

“It’s frustrating,” Girardi said. “You hoped that he could’ve did it on the homestand. But for our team, it’s frustrating. He’s our leadoff guy. He’s pretty sore.”

The Yankees could be playing two men short if there are no moves. Russell Martin’s status is iffy as well. He returned Sunday after missing four games, but he was scratched after batting practice Monday due to the same lower back stiffness. Girardi said it didn’t look like he had the rotation he needed.

“We’ll wait and make sure that his BP is normal before we put him back out there,” Girardi said.

A.J. Burnett had his curveball and change, and he allowed just one run, five hits and one walk while fanning eight over 7 2/3.

“It’s a shame we wasted a great start like that,” Brett Gardner said.

Carlos Carrasco had a great one, too, allowing five hits and three walks while fanning seven over seven. He did become the 807th pitcher to give up a hit to Jeter — that first-inning single.

Jorge Posada had a single in four trips, extending his hitting streak to a season-high seven games.

Tonight’s pitching matchup features CC Sabathia vs. Alexi Ogando, who’s 7-0 with a 2.10 ERA.

Derek Jeter went to get an MRI on his right calf and it showed a Grade 1 strain, which is the lowest level. More will be known tomorrow about the next steps. So there was no immediate word if he will be going on the DL. But it doesn’t seem like he will be getting No. 3,000 on this homestand.