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Lisa Kennelly checks in with Johnny Damon and finds that, while Damon would like to come off the DL, the Yanks are holding him back for a few more days. Damon should be activated for the weekend series against Boston, but his presence on the active roster will further clog up the DH logjam. Due to his shoulder, he won’t be set to play left until next week at the earliest, and he’ll join Jorge Posada as a bat the Yanks need but an arm they can’t afford to have on the field.
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I think to avoid this issue the Yankees won’t activate Johny Damon for this upcoming series versus the Twins. With Sidney Ponson and Darrel Rasner on the mound (two guys who aren’t exactly wizards at keeping runners off base) you will need Jose Molina behind the plate too offset the speed atop that lineup.
It makes it a situation where would you rather have Giambi/Posada/or Damon’s bat in there, assuming that Posada doesn’t catch. A team like the Twins you probably don’t want Posada catching, team like the Sox it might be okay (outside of Ellsbury and Crisp)
Posada’s our everyday DH. He can’t play against any team that can run.
Damon’s arm was so bad to begin with, is there really any impact if it’s worse? Will he not be able to reach the infield now?
Watch, he’ll be throwing bullets to the plate on the fly from the warning track now.
oh yeah, like rookie of the year style
yeah, and Pavano will win a game for Yankees.
damon shmamon. the yankees are 3-0 since adding richie sexon
And the Red Sox are 0-3 since the Yanks added Sexson.
And Hillary Clinton is still winless since the Yanks added Dicklock Sexy.
So they’re not going to send him out on a rehab assignment? Even if it’s just 3 measly games to get used to live pitching again?
I don’t get it either.
Anyone else hoping the Red Sox make a knee-jerk trade for Brian Fuentes and the Colorado brass ends up fleecing them?
Sort of like the trade for Gagne last year?
With the way Okajima is pitching they may just do it
But … but … but he’s the 19th best free agent signing in history!!1!!11!!
How long has he been out? 2 weeks? Assuming he’s been taking BP for a few days I think he’ll be fine. Though I wouldn’t activate him against a tough lefty. Matchups for the Twins series look fine to me.
SIGN BARRY BONDS!! SIGN BARRY BONDS!!!!
WHAT THIS TEAM NEEDS NOW MORE THAN EVER IS ANOTHER LEFT HANDED DH!!!!!
Were skipping over the main question when Damon comes back.
Melky or Gardner, who sits?
right now probably Gardner, he’s done nothing to un-seat melk, but i’d guess that Christian would be sent down first and there would be a rotation of OF time
I’m going to say Melky, with Gardner going back to AAA to get regular at-bats.
yeah, i’m with you. i think christian is kept up for pinch running and occasional duty playing against lefties …
I think its going to be Gardner, unless Melky goes on real tear and soon.
Gardner simply can do more things to help you win games, from his OF range to his ability to score a runs with his speed.
Girardi wanted to take Gardner out of Spring Training, and has been very complimentary about him. Likes his ABs, likes his defense, likes his ability to extend an inning with his speed and scratch out a run.
Melky to be honest, has been getting himself out all year swinging a pure shit. His number vs Lefties are horrendous, and we can’t afford that even with him as the #9 hitter. We’ve seen him for 3 years, and its become apparent the doubters were right all along. He’s a 4th OFer. The sooner we accept that, the better.
I figure Damon will take 2 weeks to get back in the OF.
I think Melky will need to make it impossible to sit him down between now and then in order to save his starters job.
no more melky please - enough is enough with him
You think Gardner and his .236 OBP should beat out Melky? I know people love to hate Melky, and he’s most likely not a long term solution in CF, but Gardner has shown nothing so far that would make me start him instead of Melky. His speed is great, but would probably be more valuable as a PR for late in the game when Posada or Giambi walk.
can we give gardner more than 2 weeks to start producing. we have put up with melky since april
it has taken him time to adjust at every level. all the people clamoring for his call-up are ready to give up on him for the season already.
at worst he will adjust and hit the same as melky - i will take his speed, something this team needs over melky’s arm and nothing else. the melky experiment needs to end
Remember what Melky did when HE was first called up? That was ugly.
Yes. Gardner’s adjusting to the MLB so I’m not looking at the numbers yet, and neither should anyone else. Too small a sample at this point.
What I am looking at is his plate discipline, range in the OF, and most of all his speed. That speed can mean we can score a critical run w/o even getting a base hit. Defensively in the OF he turns doubles into outs. He diversifies our attack, which makes us less vulnerable to some of the better pitchers.
I think he will be adjusted to the bigs within a month or so, and I want him as a weapon for the playoffs. I can easily see him scoring us a decisive run by playing ABC baseball against a tough pitcher.
Obvious move is to put Posada to LF
Where he can use his Dumbo ears to fly around the outfield and catch everything. Just think of the aerodynamics he can generate with those things.
I like it.
just wait until Cashman makes a trade for Jason Bay. who the f is gonna play then?
Bay can play center more than adequately, plus any drop in defense will be more than made up for by the increase in offense.
can he really? i thought he was strictly a corner OF. first time i heard that about Bay.
Potentially somone could get shipped off in that deal…though Pitt would probably be looking to unload an OF with out a return OF so McCutchen can come up
thats why Bay and Nady are available in the first place… to make room for McCutchen.
Because Cashman has just been BURNING UP the Trade market in recent years.
Ole ‘Trader Brian’ thats what we call ‘em.
so the DH log-jam of the past 3 years continues and will go on net year 2 with Posada taking Giambi’s place now. as much as i hate to say it - they need to trade away matsue or damon next offseason it will greatly hinder their ability to shop this offseason especially if they are going to have to move jorge to first.
this dh log jam is a major problem as it keeps good bats on the bench while black hole melky continue to man the outfield
Less of a problem next year Posada can play 1B/C/DH assuming Tex isn’t signed, and presumable Posada will have surgery on the shoulder, so that he’ll be back to his normal self behind the plate
hopefully the shoulder will be ok afgter surgery
and also - peopleassume he can play a decent 1st. just beginning to see him as 3 more years of the giambi at 1st - defensively and if he isnt cathching his offense isnt nearly as impressive - although still okay
Sharing time with Jose at C and time as DH/1st should help keep him fresh, and be better at the plate. He was drafted as a 2nd basemen, so he has infielders skills. I think the move may work out well, the hard part will be to convince him the move is best for him and the team. 27/08??
Posada cant scoop balls in the dirt behind the plate, what makes people think he can do it at first base with all the short hops from jeter and arod.
not worried about scooping - tired of watching statutes over there. will he have any range. i know he was a 2B, but that was a long long time ago.
To assume he can just step in and play 50 games at 1st net year is taking an enormous leap of faith
and sheffield was a 3B when he came up - he didnt man first too well. people have to stop making the mistake of thinking you can stick anyone on 1st and expect them to be able to play it. Posada has been a cather his whole career now - he is not accustomed to fielding a ball at first
and you cannot assume because he can catch a splitter that he can catch balls at first just as you cant assume that because an outfielder has a drop dead arm that he can pitch
Because we have already seen him play at 1st and scoop the short throws. Anyhow, after his off season surgery, he should be alright for next year. With him splitting time DH/1st/C he will need spring training to get all the reps at 1st. His arm isn’t going to be strong come ST, so he’ll have to play at 1st and DH for awhile anyhow. He’ll be no worse then JG…all this is predicated on them not getting Tex. 27/08??
But the Sheff problem was different, because he (like Posada this year) was learning 1B on the fly, without the benefit of an offseason program or a spring training.
I’m going to be very interested in this winter to see what happens. Big Bank Hank needs to have a convo with both Posada and Jeter, and tell them that with the contracts that they signed or are about to sign, they will be Yankees for life and will have their numbers put out in that new Monument Park, but that they need to commit to doing what is best for the team, and that specifically means moving from their defense-premium C and SS spots into the 1B and LF spots at some point in the next two years. They should be practicing and training in the springs for moves that will have to be made at some point.
cant critisize the deal when it was made, but these shoulder problems together with his age really makes this contract look bad.
Bay may be a good solution because he can at least play a decent center. it would be nice to get one of the holes out of the lineup — CF,LF or C.
Is there any word on if Damon may be able to play LF in a month or two
‘these shoulder problems’…. it’s one injury that he’s playing through. If the injury persists into next year, then you start criticizing it, but I don’t think losing the first year of a four year deal is a big problem. I actually think the injury will help the Yanks in the long run (assuming surgery fixes it). He’ll log very few innings at C this year, which should lessen the wear and tear towards the end of the contract.
I hope he will be able to catch effectivel again and you are right. I think it was unlikely to epect him to catch much in years 3 and 4 anyway, maybe with a year of stress of his knees and arm he may be able to.
wont matter much after next year hopefully though when damon and matsui’s contract is up