Matsui opts against surgery, for now

by 36 Comments

Yanks' home streak stretches to eight at Ponson tops Twins
Buying opportunity: starting catcher

While Monday’s news of the day was Jorge Posada and his injured shoulder, the other injured Yankee cog made a decision about his immediate future. According to the four-letter, Hideki Matsui will not undergo surgery yet and will attempt another rehab on his knee. More important, however, is this news that doctors have recommended that he go under the knife and that Brian Cashman is not optimistic that Matsui will rejoin the club any time soon. This will be the last rehab attempt before surgery, and I don’t expect to see Godzilla back in the Bronx this season.

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Yanks' home streak stretches to eight at Ponson tops Twins
Buying opportunity: starting catcher
  • Bill N

    I want them to make a move what that move is I’m not sure def not a lefty reliever I know that much. I just hope that this little streak doesn’t get mistaken for a need for a bat

  • nick blasioli

    i think they need an outfielder…matsui is out…gardner should be on the bench..and therefore an outfielder is needed….nady…holliday…bay…would be nice to have one of those guys…i wonder if cashman reads these blogs…i hope so.

  • Mark B

    Cashman would never publicly admit to reading a blog like this or listening to sport talk radio…..privately you have to think he has to check in from time-to-time with both mediums just to see what the fans are thinking and saying

    • http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos

      No, you don’t have to think that.

      Privately, you have to think that the Yankees FO probably has an unpaid intern 20-year-old college kid who’s going to Fordham working on a sports marketing degree, who’s job (other than getting coffee from Twin Donut, making copies, and washing Derek Jeter’s Edge) is reading 50-odd sports blogs and listening to 1050 and The Fan and condensing down all that info (most of it teeth-grindingly stupid) into one 60-second report to one of Cash’s deputies’ deputies, who immediately disregards what the kid says.

      • Count Zero

        “washing Derek Jeter’s Edge”

        LOL

    • whozat

      Actually, Cashman has publicly acknowledged that he reads PeteAbe’s blog (I doubt he looks at the comments) and nomaas.

      At least I’m pretty sure it was those two. Maybe this one, and not LoHud? I can’t remember. But there ARE some blogs that he does check out, and he has publicly said so.

  • jsbrendog

    kenny lofton.

    • whozat

      There are worse thoughts. He can play a solid LF, though it’d be better if he were a righty. He’d certainly be more gettable than a Holliday or a Bay. Maybe Casey Blake would be an option. Some of those B pitchers should do it. Maybe Blake AND Lofton to replace Gardner and Christian.

  • Axl

    Boston is planning on grabbing Matt Holiday and then letting Manny go.

    The good part is that Holiday doesn’t hit nearly as well away from Coors…

    Who would we get? Catcher and an outfielder? I don’t want Holiday.

    I’d take Xavier Nady though.

    • steve (different one)

      and you know how much hitters struggle in the cavernous reaches of Fenway park.

    • TurnTwo

      stay away from Holliday, but buy on Xavier Nady? what bizarro world do you live in?

  • Axl

    Loftons a dinosaur although he has some pretty big hits in the post season (if we make it there) against the yankees and for them…

    Last season comes to mind for the Indians (although every one of them were shelling us) and then we can’t forget his home run off Pedro…even though we lost that series.

    Casey Blake is acceptable…

    • whozat

      Who cares if he’s old? This isn’t a long-term move, it’s a stopgap. Cover for Damon in LF until/if he can get out there again, and maybe push Melky in CF a bit. Gardner certainly isn’t.

      • TurnTwo

        with the history thats there, i dont see Cashman or Lofton too eager for a reunion.

        • jsbrendog

          tony womack? hahahahahahahaha

  • pa

    just a thought but maybe guy like jose guillen could be lifted from kansas city for a couple b level guys. i know hes kinda old -32 and hes only hitting .265 but he has like 13 homers and 65 rbi without much protection in a pretty weak kc lineup. i think he makes like 7 or 8 mil which is alot for kc for someone who isnt super productive. we could throw him in left until damons arm heals then jd could play center. plus guillen has a prettt sick arm so he can help the d a little bit.
    i know its not particularly groundbreaking or glamorous but i think if cash were to make a move it would be this type rather than a blockbuster trade for holliday.

    whatever im not a gm

    • Rob_in_CT

      Not that ‘roiding cheater!!!!!!

      ;)

      Setting aside the fact that Jose Guillen is a documented cheater (just like Giambi, Pettitte, and others), he’s not particularly good. He does have some power, and he is a righty who hits LHP decently.

      Year to date:

      Overall: .268 .294 .457
      VS RHP: .254 .273 .414
      VS LHP: .311 .354 .589 (mmm, tasty)

      3-year splits:
      VS RHP: .275 .330 .449
      VS LHP: .273 .343 .483 (not terribly impressive)

      It’s worth looking into, but I wouldn’t want the Yanks to surrender anything of real value for him.

    • pat

      whoops spelled my own name wrong and just to back myself up a little i wouldnt be looking at guillen to be stud just a dude who can extend the lineup with decent rh pop

    • http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos

      “whatever im not a gm”

      Your clever ruse isn’t working, Dayton Moore, we know it’s you.

    • steve (different one)

      Guillen: signed 3-year, $36M deal thru 2010 season on 12/6/07

      no way.

      not even for Igawa. ok, too far. but i wouldn’t touch that contract if they were giving him away.

  • Andy In Sunny Daytona

    It’s too bad that Miyagi died.

  • Rob_in_CT

    Where would Casey Blake play?

    • whozat

      He’s serviceable in the corner OF positions, I believe. And he could do the RH 1B thing and we could give Sexson a pat on the butt and send him on his way.

      • A.D.

        He can play the OF or the corner infield positions. However he’s not going to play CF, and he’s not going to play over Damon or Abreu. In the INF he’s not playing over A-Rod, and isn’t going to hit over Giambi. I guess you could put him at first and DH Giambi, but in reality the guy is a .262 career hitter

        Basically Blake isn’t the answer to anything.

        With a DH spot opening it up it does allow the oppertunity for Cash to make a splash and get a player for now & the future that will replace a pending free agent (i.e. Abreu) without there being a playing time issue this year

        • http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos

          … or, with that DH opening, he can make history by signing the first ever female professional baseball player…

        • whozat

          “and he’s not going to play over Damon or Abreu”

          Perhaps he should play over Abreu. Abreu’s been terrible. Also, depending on Damon’s OF availability, it could be an issue of Gardner vs. Blake getting playing time.

  • E-ROC

    Matsui should just have the surgery already, and gear up for next season. No need to mess around with a knee injury.

    Will Damon be the full time DH for the rest of the season? I haven’t heard anything about him throwing the baseball. Can he throw the baseball?

    • TurnTwo

      could he ever throw a baseball?

      • E-ROC

        Though his arm was terrible before the injury, it could be worse after rehabbing the injury.

    • A.D.

      I believe the report is that it would be about another week before he could throw

  • usty

    Reg-gie Stock-er. I know this has been debated ad nauseum. But if Matsui isn’t coming back, Damon will eventually move back to LF, our once over-crowded DH spot is no longer overcrowded with anyone of use. You play Giambi at 1b (along with Sexson sometimes (ugh) ) and get the greatest hitter of our generation in the lineup by the end of August. If anything, that media sh*tstorm will take A-rod off the back pages and maybe he even lights up even more.

    • TurnTwo

      give up.

      • jsbrendog

        and then kill yourself lol…or maybe just reggie stocker…id rather see igawa pitch in the bronx……barely, but i would

        • Count Zero

          I’m glad you’re not in charge then…

          • usty

            Seriously. Just because he’s the scapegoat for everything. There’s currently “cheaters” at our #1 spot in the rotation and 1b/DH and peppered throughout baseball. He’s just the face of all of them. So if you’re going to be all high and mighty about not seeing someone who used play in the Bronx, I hope you’re booing Giambi and Pettitte every time they take the field.

            From a baseball only standpoint, it’s about as low risk/high reward as you get. He’s not going to come in the locker room and taint the minds of young players through ESP or osmosis or something. And if he does act like a douche, you cut him and say good bye to the pro-rated min.

  • nick blasioli

    really and truly..dont we all wish that the yankees would do something now to help this year and carry over to next year…work both years at the same trade…it could work..matsui is hurting us in the fact that he doesnt know if he will be back this year or not…and the yankees keep waiting on his decision before doing anything……