Pregame notes: Gardner suffers yet another setback
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Notes on Jun 09, 2012 
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It’s the same thing all over again.
Brett Gardner played in a minor league game yesterday, and said afterward that he felt good. The Charleston RiverDogs even sent a quote in a press release: “All in all, I felt pretty good and I’m excited to see where I’m at tomorrow,” Gardner said.
Gardner woke up this morning once again feeling pain in his right elbow, and now he’s heading for more tests on Monday. At this point, manager Joe Girardi doesn’t expect to have him back until after the all-star break at the earliest.
“There’s concern we’re not going to have him for a while,” Girardi said. “… He seems to get to a point where he can do everything he needs to do and then when he plays in a game, maybe it’s the intensity being turned up a little bit, some swinging and missing. It seems to bother him.”
Chris Dickerson is off the disabled list in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but Girardi indicated that the Yankees will likely stick with their current roster for a while. Frankly, they’ve had an extra left-handed outfielder in Dewayne Wise for a while, but Wise rarely plays. Andruw Jones and Raul Ibanez have basically filled the Gardner void, with Eric Chavez getting additional at-bats at designated hitter and DH, and Jayson Nix providing some outfield depth.
Brian Cashman said he hasn’t looked into trading for a Gardner replacement.
“I haven’t been looking,” Cashman said. “That doesn’t mean that (it’s out of the question). Now you’ve passed the draft, people will be more interested in having conversations. I have not had any conversations with anybody about anything.”
• Better news on Hiroki Kuroda, who was able to ride a bike today after being hit by a line drive on his left foot last night. Kuroda said he expects to throw a bullpen either tomorrow or Monday, and he’s expecting to make his next start. “It’s much better than yesterday,” Kuroda said.
• Dave Robertson is going to Triple-A on a rehab assignment. He’ll make his first appearance tomorrow.
• Girardi said he’s not worried about Ibanez breaking down because of playing the field more than expected. “He gets some built in days off when we face some lefties,” Girardi said. “I don’t know if there’s been a stretch where he’s played more than five days in a row. It’d have to be pretty unusual circumstances where he would go a long, long time.”
• Cashman said he doesn’t look back at the Gardner situation thinking the Yankees should have done something differently. “Find something we haven’t found, that’s the only thing I can tell you,” Cashman said. “Medicine is an inexact science. It’s a Rubik’s cube that we still have to solve on him.”
• Cashman won’t set any expectations for David Aardsma, but he’s clearly taking steady steps toward returning from Tommy John surgery. “I don’t want to set a time table on him,” Cashman said. “But obviously he’s in batting practice, which is the last thing you do before you put him in rehab games.”
• It’s a similar story with Joba Chamberlain, who’s been able to run and throw bullpens in Tampa. Cashman said he’s not entirely sure that Chamberlain’s throwing at 100 percent, but he’s not playing light catch either. “He’s throwing hard,” Cashman said. “It might be 100 percent. I couldn’t tell you.”
Associated Press photos
luis June 9th, 2012 at 5:43 pm
Villa Nova-Ya June 9th, 2012 at 5:40 pm
Pat M -
What is “pop time?”
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Time spent between receiving the ball and throwing it to second.
LOL, yes, Montero is a mere 22 year old rookie but will NEVER improve his pop time or plate discipline (this one is more absurd than pop time).
Gotta love this stuff.
The left field situation, assuming Gardner is in fact out for a long time and potentially all year, is how Cashman should try to address this offense. Find an outfielder who hits for average, takes professional at bats, can move runners, and puts balls in play. Trying to milk 4 months from jones, ibanez, and chavez in the dh/lf spots will not work from a health perspective.
DAVID DEJESUS
He would be a great fit for the Yankees.
They need someone who can also play CF.
Chip -
Oh no! Not DeJesus again!!! LOL
Villa Nova-Ya…..I see Luis answered your question….I’m trying to multi task and men aren’t wired for this skill
Do you look into DeJesus or Kubel as short term fixes? Both are lefthanded, not signed past 2013, and then could slide over to RF to take over for Swisher. Kubel is having a nice season in LF so far for the DBacks and his swing would be nice in YS. DeJesus has always been a professional type hitter, though he struggled last year in Oakland. Neither would command big prospect returns.
DeJesus can play out there for a bit – or Jones or Swisher. If Granderson had to miss a lot of time, they would have to call someone up anyway right?
Pat M. June 9th, 2012 at 5:44 pm
Luis…….Jesus Montero’s career will be framed by his hitting and not so much about framing pitchers…….Hell wasn’t Cliff Johnson a catcher when he first came up , but he’s known for hitting ..And for breaking The Goose’s thumb in a shower incident……….He’ not and never will be a .300 hitter, and unless his discipline at the plate improves nor will he be a .350 % on base guy…..He’s young yes, however this is who he is and that’s going to be hard to change……..Not ragging on him nor his adoring followers but just putting some levity to the conversation
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Agreed. FTR, i think your comments are always fair. I wouldn’t give up on him so soon though. He has to work on his pitch recognition (he gets killed by the slider and splitter). although the last few games i saw him, he appeared to have adjusted to it with much better results. I think he is about to get on a hot streak. Some of that aggressiveness came as a result of Wedge asking him to be more aggressive if i am not mistaken.
Villa -
He can hit, he can field, he’s on a lousy team that won’t ask for the world for him…why not?
AndrewMarchand
Alfonso Soriano could be a possibility if Cash and Theo could figure out the money. #Speculatio
1h Marc Carig?@MarcCarig
Cashman says Gardner will see Andrews on Monday or Tuesday. Also, he hasn’t had convos about adding another outfielder.
Marc Carig?@MarcCarig
Gardner will also see Dr. Tim Kremcheck at his agent’s request.
DaveD June 9th, 2012 at 6:04 pm
AndrewMarchand
Alfonso Soriano could be a possibility if Cash and Theo could figure out the money. #Speculatio
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File that under no chance.
I think we’ll know more after the Andrews visit – this sounds like it could be a TJ situation in the making.
Montero is very young,but he is going to have to get better against rh pitching because those numbers are terrible.
It amazes me that a guy is having elbow issues for 6 weeks that’s are largely inexplicable and only now does he go see a specialist like an Andrews/Kremchak. I don’t know if its possible to handle injury situations worse than the yankees do but the mets do their best to try.
Soriano would be quite possibly the dumbest move they could make. He’s exactly the problem this team already has. An all or nothing hitter with a complete inability to move runners and have productive at bats.
Ron,
Give him time and you will see. He struggled at the gate in every level, then he crush the ball until the end of every season. He is learning and adjusting.
YF,
1,9-1,95 are very good pop times. And he has a very powerful arm.
Via Ken Rosenthal, the Diamondbacks called the Yankees about the availability of Austin Romine prior to signing Miguel Montero to his big extension. Talks never went anywhere because New York wanted left-handed pitching prospect Tyler Skaggs in return. Arizona called a number of other teams — including the Blue Jays about Travis D’Arnaud — and found the prices prohibitive, so they re-upped Montero.
Romine recently resumed baseball activities after sitting out the start of the season with a back injury. Remember, D’Backs GM Kevin Towers spent 2010 with the Bombers and is surely familiar with the young backstop. Catching depth is important, so I’m glad to see the Yankees place a premium on it.
A-Rod at DH again??? To me, unless something is physically wrong with A-Rod that we know Nothing about, it’s obvious Girardi prefers Chavez’s defense at 3B, over A-Rod’s. To Already be relegating A-Rod to DH, has gotta embarass the Yanks to no end, and make them shudder at the years still remaining on his contract.
Donny,
He is 37 and he has had hip and knee surgeries in the last couple of seasons. You try to keep him fresh and injury free for the sake of the team.
Pat M.,
I’m multi-tasking, too. Watching the Nats throttle the sox, keeping an eye on the Belmont Stakes, anticipating another Yankees win, and enjoying a wee dram or two, without a care in the world about the 2014 payroll. Oh, doing a fish fry on the side. Life’s pretty good.
Donny – it allows him to get more left handed bats in the lineup and allows him to play arod in the field tomorrow (day game after night game). Not really as big of a deal as u are making of it here. In general, I agree with what u are saying, but we basically put our best lineup on the field doing it this way.
Luis, well he had been in that range, although sometimes above. And Montero’s always hit RHP in the minors, so not too worried about that.
Please no Soriano. I can’t stand the strike outs on curve balls in the other batters box.
DeJesus, Kubel or Willingham seem doable but I expect no changes in the end unless and
until their is another injury.
It’s NO surprise the Yanks continue to have problems diagnosing and treating injuries when Cashman says, “Medicine is an inexact science”. Just what witch doctor is Cashman referring Yankee players to? In this day and age, medicine is NOT an “inexact science”. The retirement of Gene Monahan is beginning to show.
In this day and age, medicine is NOT an “inexact science”.
*********
Medicine and science in general is constantly involving. It changes almost every year. As far as diagnosing, it is not always correct the first time.
- Carlo -
Just look at the last week or so, and the number of games A-Rod DH’d, while Chavez played 3B.. Also factor in the off days last Mon and the previous Thur. The day game after a night game thing, is supposed to apply to Catchers on a regular basis, not 3B’s
I am no doctor, but medicine is not exact. MRIs, CT scans and the like are wonderful tools to see inside the body. They do not see all as surgery not infrequently discovers unseen issues.
Maybe the Yankees did was or was not correct. We don’t know. It sure does suck, I agree.
I work in insurance….50% of the first diagnosis are wrong. So it can be very inexact.
I wonder if gardner saw the same veterinarian that ran the tests on Pineda. Man the yanks really get the job done with their medical work.
Soler becomes a mandatory sign.
“I work in insurance….50% of the first diagnosis are wrong. So it can be very inexact.”
I don’t know about outside the US, but here, medicine has been sold as an exact science, when in fact, it isn’t anything close.
Rich in NJ June 9th, 2012 at 6:28 pm
“I work in insurance….50% of the first diagnosis are wrong. So it can be very inexact.”
I don’t know about outside the US, but here, medicine has been sold as an exact science, when in fact, it isn’t anything close.
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I was talking about the US rate.
Donny – why get so worked up over it? Its not like the guy is a gold glove 3rd baseman. If anything, its more annoying that he is our DH and he’s essentially a singles hitter who can’t hit with risp.
no finals yet, but the jays (by 3) and rangers (by 5) are losing, the sawks are down 2 and the orioles are tied with the phillies. it’s shaping up well for the yankees so far…
“I was talking about the US rate.”
Oh, sorry, luis.
As I said when he was still a Yankee, Montero reaching his peak depends on him laying off the breaking balls off the plate. That was the one potential problem I saw. Like most things, that will or will not be fixed and time will tell.
Rich in NJ June 9th, 2012 at 6:27 pm
Soler becomes a mandatory sign.
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What do you think it will take? Do you think he agrees to a minor league deal?…I do think that he is preferable to the prize it may take to get one on the trade market
if the rangers go down, a win by the yankees would put them within one game of the best record in the AL n matter what the rays do.
Do you think he agrees to a minor league deal?
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No. Soler is going to get a major league deal from someone. The only question is if a team will cave and give him a free agency clause.
luis
I think it will take a ML deal, and they will have to give it to him. Their roster construction (both ML and high levels of the mL) as it relates to the OF is horrible.
Wise, Nix, even Ibanez? That’s pathetic.
Rich in NJ June 9th, 2012 at 6:32 pm
“I was talking about the US rate.”
Oh, sorry, luis.
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Don’t be my friend! In Europe goes to 65% and in South America is 58%
who is this Montero you speak of???
Rich in NJ June 9th, 2012 at 6:27 pm
Soler becomes a mandatory sign.
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Which means it won’t happen.
If the price is around 15 million as the one quote suggested I would offer 18 million over 6 years with 2 team options worth 9 million each. The 18 million will be a signing bonus of 2 million then salaries of 1,1,2,4,4,4.
You then hope he is able to work a call up by year 3, so you’re paying him 2,4,4 for years in which he should have been making league minimum, followed by 4,9,9 in arbitration years, or you can take him to arbitration and decline the options.
Rich,
I agree, depth wise we are in a pickle. I just hope that they don’t trade for an outfielder. I like the Soler kid.
YF,
Thanks….A free agent clause? that might do the trick at a lower cost?
We have eschewed bidding wars for IFA’s. I just don’t see us shelling out in a major league deal for Soler. I hope I am wrong.
There was no intention to equate quality, I didn’t mean it like it that. Just for every post against the trade there has been a post for. Yet it is the posts against that get the bad rap.
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Why is that?
washington is playing well, despite the loss of werth and storen and with zimmerman obviously not 100% after his dl stint, it looks like they are going to go 11 over .500 today.
all montero has to do is work his butt off like nettles did and he’ll be pretty good defensively back there.
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Could be the exact reason they let him go.
Someone who has been paying attention to Trenton – would one of the Almonte’s or Melky Mesa be a good replacement for Gardner this season. They all play great defense some at multiple outfield positions (including center), are really fast and can energize the bottom of the lineup with speed. Z Almonte are on the 40 man, A Almonte is not. Mesa probably has the best power and other tools, A Almonte probably the most well rounded, and Z Almonte back recently from the dl looked great in the spring.
I know it is a leap from AA to MLB, but a trade would not be required and any of the three would bring youth, speed, defense, energy, etc. If they can hit .250 or so might not be the worst option.
I guess ultimate course of action is determined by how long Gardner is out.
Union Rags by a nose
Is Nunez still on the DL?
Mick,
He works his a**s off. He is a hard worker
For every Randy there is a Mick. Etc…
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Tar-
Not getting this. Please explain…
fiveiron,
Not a bad idea.
luis
he had problems . arod asked him to workout hard with him . there were also disciplinary issues.
I sense Gardner is out for the season. I hope I’m wrong, but it is one conservative estimate after another, all proving to be waaaaaay off.
Mick,
That was a story that Montero himself brought up, i don’t think it has legs.
“he had problems . arod asked him to workout hard with him . there were also disciplinary issues.”
I hate talking about this, but it never goes away so…
All we heard about is how Montero is out of shape. Yet he comes up last September, and he is lean and muscular.
They messed up royally by trading him for what they did. That’s the sad facts.
Rich in NJ June 9th, 2012 at 6:51 pm
I sense Gardner is out for the season. I hope I’m wrong, but it is one conservative estimate after another, all proving to be waaaaaay off.
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I think he is heading to a TJS. I may take this and next season
wasn’t montero disciplined a few times?
Montero related a story where A-rod said if he wanted to be great he had to take every bp, not just mandatory BP, and hit extra in the cage. So Montero did.
Someone who is being asked to work 24/7 on their catching doesn’t take optional BP? What a jerk!
YF,
Is Zoilo ready for the show?
eboland11 Hal Steinbrenner making a rare appearance at a game. Here for Military Appreciation Night.
Me too, luis. I have thought that for weeks.
GB, you’ve got to love a lineup of Flores, Feliz, JR Murphy at the top. tyanks is at the game and says that JR has had some bad luck and she expects him to hit. He’s done a lot better in June, but very little pop.
Zoilo is just coming back from injury and is in AA. He’s played only a handful of games and is batting .200 in his last ten. I’d think he needs to play more in AA, which I thought before he got hurt. One thing is that he was hitting righties really well so far this season.
Here is one weird situation from the summer of 2011:
Jesus Montero not in the SWB lineup this afternoon a “Manager’s Decision”. No injury’s, no call up. Just a day off…..
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It’s rumored that the eye infection was actually a disciplinary measure because he came back from the infection and started a game, then was sat for 2 days. The Yankees were reluctant to say why he was sat, then eventually claimed it was the infection again. It seems he was sat for some unknown reason that the Yanks aren’t disclosing.
Mike Francesa reported that Jesus Montero was benched for two days as a result of a “managers decision.” He reported that this was due to some sort of disciplinary issue. This was reported on June 14 on WFAN. I don’t have a link. I heard it on the Mike Francesa show.
Seriously, what’s better than the Sux and their fans being set up EVERY SINGLE DAY to believe they have a shot to win – and then having it snatched from them at zero hour!
Answer: NOTHING! (fat slappy karma, the gift that continues to give)
And Yankee prodigy Tyler Clippard delivers part 1 of a wondrous Saturday trifecta:
1. Sux loss
2. Yanks win
3. Celts loss
GO TEAMS!
Tar June 9th, 2012 at 5:25 pm
I think I just called Randy Yin
And Mick—- Randy”s Yang
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Yin-Yang Exposed
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com.....n-yang.htm
Yang is its opposite and represents history, light, masculine, right side of the body, etc.” “Yang is male, positive, and represented by the Sun. Yin is female …
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OK. Now I understand…
Francesa didn’t even know who Montero was then.
If the Yanks except all young players to be like Jeter, they are mistaken. Look no further than Cano, as recently as the 2008 offseason (his age 26 year), he was benched for lack of hustle and played the 2nd half of that season with sporadic effort and everyone wanted him gone for Kemp that winter.
Young players are going to show flaws, it’s the Yankees fault if they are incapable of allowing kids to grow and mature, talk about missing the forest for the trees.
Good point, Dave. Cano was maligned for years, with Michael Kay, of all people, talking about his fat butt. No…really.
Do we even need to mention the discipline factor? Lots of minor leaguers get disciplined. So, did Sanchez. They are children, and the Latino ones are making adjustments to a stateside work ethic.
Dave,
Spot on….In the case of Montero, he was just sent down because he didn’t hit well enough while they were telling him to work on his catching and not his batting. In fact, he out hitted all his competition.
Rich in NJ……Soler is said to be pursued by The Dodgers, Cubs & Yanks….In that order…
*cultural difference re: discussions on Latino boards. Disclaimer: I never considered Cano lazy.
We’ve all done stupid things at the age of 22.
Perhaps even Jeter when the cameras weren’t on him.
Pat
No team has a bigger need than the Yankees (as big, maybe). It’s time for them to get off the “pitching is the be all and end all” silliness, which is contrary to the way they were run since the ’20s, and find a way to get this done.
Down go the rangers and sawks!
id like to take this time to point out that i advocated trading montero for gio gonzalez when he was being offered around.
way to early to tell how what would’ve worked out but gio looks pretty damn good so far…
DaveD June 9th, 2012 at 7:03 pm
If the Yanks except all young players to be like Jeter, they are mistaken
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It’s like when ppl complained about what Joba did on the mound and said why can’t he be more like Mo.
The Yankees need a new team doctor. Texera was misdiagnosed and now it seems like Gardner has been. Cashman should stop making excuses for their doctor and his inability to find good ones. His errors continue to accummulate.