Nick Johnson resumes baseball related activities

July 30, 2010 by Mike Axisa 52 Comments

A two-month long stint on the disabled list and one setback later, Nick Johnson has finally resumed baseball activities down in Tampa. The forgotten Yankee is simply taking grounders at first right now, though he did hit test his surgically repaired wrist by hitting some soft toss with a fungo bat earlier in the week. He also took some dry hacks with a regular bat.

“I don’t really know what to think at this point,” said Joe Girardi on Tuesday. “Until he starts actually taking swings in batting practice, I don’t know what to make of it, when we might get him back.”

Johnson is pretty much in the same boat as Al Aceves; anything the Yankees get out of him from here on out is a bonus. They can’t, and shouldn’t count on him staying productive and healthy the rest of the season given the nature of his injury. It sure would be nice to have OBP Jesus and his military style plate discipline bat in the lineup, though.

Long-time RABer Andy in Sunny Daytona provided the info and picture above, so everyone thank Andy.

http://www.secondavenuesagas.com Benjamin Kabak

Long-time RABer Andy in Sunny Daytona provided the info and picture above, so everyone thank Andy.

Thank you, Andy.
- Jose the Satirist
  
  Thank you for the picture and info Andy. But Andy, isn’t Nick Johnson a little old for a prospectaphile like you?
  - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
    
    You know how Andy like ’em
    Young, fresh and green
    With no hair in between,
    Know what I mean?
    
    /BiggieSmalls’d
    - http://www.lessthismorethat.com/author/ddarrell Jamal G.
      
      I was just saying yesterday that Warning is the song that Cashman plays every time some asshole asks for Jesus Montero in a deal for Scott Downs.
      - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
        
        Call the coroner
        There’s gonna be a lot of slow singin’
        And flower bringin’
        If my burglar alarm starts ringin’
        
        /CashmeezySmalls’d
http://twitter.com/j_yankees2213 j_Yankees

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xos2MnVxe-c (safe)
Pete

Thanks, Andy.

BTW, Nick Johnson will hit a walk-off home run to send the Yankees to the world series in ALCS game 5 against the Rays.
- JackC
  
  And miss the WS with the ensuing home run trot related injury.
  - whozat
    
    nah, it’ll be the pie.
  - BigGuy
    
    Yeah, Johnson will trip over a blade of grass and break his leg. lol
- Ross in Jersey
  
  BTW, Nick Johnson will ~~hit~~ work a walk-off ~~home run~~ walk to send the Yankees to the world series in ALCS game 5 against the Rays.
  
  fixed that for ya
- JM
  
  so you’re saying the Rays will have home-field advantage (which means they will win the AL East)?
  - Pete
    
    sorry, meant game 6. And Ross is correct. It will be a walk, not a home run.
http://MattOnEarth.blogspot.com Matt on Earth

I’m pretty much assuming Nick doesn’t do anything on the field for the Yanks for the remainder of the year. That fat POS might as well live in a bubble to help mitigate his fragility. I don’t care if he has absurd OBP…he can’t breath without getting injured.
- whozat
  
  I don’t understand the vitriol. It’s like you think he’s purposefully getting hurt to steal money from your own personal wallet.
- http://www.secondavenuesagas.com Benjamin Kabak
  
  That fat POS might as well live in a bubble to help mitigate his fragility. I don’t care if he has absurd OBP…he can’t breath without getting injured.
  
  Do you kiss your mother with that mouth? Unnecessarily nasty and vitriolic. Johnson doesn’t want to be injured, and this is an overreaction.
  - Jose the Satirist
    
    He kisses your mother with that mouth.
    
    /immature’d
    - whozat
      
      well played, sir
    - Church of the Perpetually Outraged
      
      Damnit, was looking for the video but blasted NBC
      
      Alex Trebek: Welcome back to Celebrity Jeopardy. I thought we were done with this, but Regis Philbin, that mongrel idiot, decided to do a Celebrity Millionaire, and network competition being what it is, I stand before you, a broken and miserable man. Let’s take a look at the scores. Sean Connery has set a new Jeopardy record for futility with..
      
      Sean Connery: Suck on it Trebek. Suck it long, and suck it hard.
      
      Alex Trebek: That’s beautiful. You kiss your mother with that mouth.
      
      Sean Connery: No, but I did something to your mother with this mouth! [ points to mouth ]
      
      [video]
      http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/649163
  - http://twitter.com/j_yankees2213 j_Yankees
    
    and chan ho park doesn’t want to suck.
- Ross in Jersey
  
  It’s not like he pulled a Pavano and hurt himself off the field… I don’t see how you can hate the actual man for something he doesn’t have control over. If he actually makes it back on the field it would be a huge plus. Our best lineup would be one where Nick is in the 2 hole.
  - http://MattOnEarth.blogspot.com Matt on Earth
    
    I don’t hate the man. I just hate him as a player. He doesn’t contribute anything. He has always had a major history with injuries. I am stunned there is anyone who didn’t foresee this outcome? Does anyone honestly believe he’ll pull his weight at some point this year? Doesn’t that frustrate anyone else?
    - http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
      
      When my son accidentally pees all over the changing table the moment his diaper comes off, it frustrates me.
      
      I don’t call him a fat piece of shit, though.
      - http://twitter.com/j_yankees2213 j_Yankees
        
        speak for yourself…
        
        http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
        
        Touché.
      - Paramecium Jones
        
        How do you know he’s not doing it on purpose? And if so, what would you call him then?
        
        /getting way off track’d
      - http://MattOnEarth.blogspot.com Matt on Earth
        
        Lol well it sounds like you have a good grasp of fatherhood tommie. Of course, the Yankees don’t expect Nick Johnson to cooperate with diaper changes. They’re paying him (a couple million if I remember correctly) to help out on the field. He has yet to do this.
        
        Fine, if it’ll appease you all I won’t call him a POS. He is fat though.
        
        http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
        
        So is CC Sabathia.
        
        http://MattOnEarth.blogspot.com Matt on Earth
        
        Lol Sabathia is fat. He’s also not useless and a complete workhorse. No harm, no foul there.
        
        http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
        
        You’re missing the point. Being unproductive or hurt or whatever shouldn’t result in an ad hominem attack.
        
        http://MattOnEarth.blogspot.com Matt on Earth
        
        Of course. Pointing out that he’s useless on the field or fat undermines my point because instead of sticking to factual observation, I’m resorting to insulting the guy on a baseball blog.
        
        http://twitter.com/tsjc68 tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Ridiculous Upside the Elder
        
        They’re paying him (a couple million if I remember correctly) to help out on the field. He has yet to do this.
        
        It happens. It’s baseball. Can’t be predicted.
        
        http://MattOnEarth.blogspot.com Matt on Earth
        
        “It happens. It’s baseball. Can’t be predicted.”
        
        This is correct. Who would have thought a guy like Granderson would miss several weeks of baseball because of a strain?
        
        Of course, he doesn’t have a major track record of injuries. It’s not really that surprising…
        
        http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H
        
        And if Johnson didn’t have a major track record of injuries he would have gotten a 4 year $40 million contract.
        
        Pete
        
        that, times 40938802388320283020838838822
        
        Paramecium Jones
        
        Can we bring back Tub-of-goo?
        
        /Terry Forster’d
        
        http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H
        
        So was David Wells.
    - Ross in Jersey
      
      It was a risk. They signed him for 5 million. If he could stay healthy, he was worth 3 times that. It didn’t work out, life goes on.
      - http://MattOnEarth.blogspot.com Matt on Earth
        
        That pretty much sums it up Ross. It was a gamble signing. I just wouldn’t bet he’s going to be productive at all the rest of the year. Just a hunch though…
        
        http://www.secondavenuesagas.com Benjamin Kabak
        
        That was decidedly not your initial comment.
        
        http://MattOnEarth.blogspot.com Matt on Earth
        
        So? I still think Ross made a good point. I didn’t realize people would be so incensed by my dislike of Nick Johnson. Oh well…I guess.
  - Jeff Karstens, Male Model
    
    The word Pavano makes me angry.
http://twitter.com/YanktheMike yankthemike

even if he did come back, it’s hard to imagine he’d be able to get a ball out of the infield after a wrist injury. don’t those take about a year to get back to 100% ?
jay destro

you know why people hate nick johnson? that fucking dirtlip.
http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H

Since Nick Johnson never swings the bat anyway, sounds like he’s ready to come back, no?
dalelama

“Johnson is pretty much in the same boat as Al Aceves; anything the Yankees get out of him from here on out is a bonus. They can’t, and shouldn’t count on him staying productive and healthy the rest of the season given the nature of his injury.”

If maintaining a .693 OPS is “staying productive” I say don’t bother coming back.
- http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H
  
  /Predictable’d
  - dalelama
    
    But true…….
    - http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H
      
      It was more of a reading comprehension fail. Nobody was saying that his .693 OPS was productive.
http://twitter.com/joero23 The Honorable Congressman Mondesi

Hold on… Am I missing something, or is this, like, an RAB scoop? How did you guys know to send Andy to Tampa to get pictures? Where’s that Girardi quote from?
Pete

The thing that I don’t get is why it even matters if Johnson is injured. The guy could probably OBP .380 with a broken arm.
Wil Nieves #1 Fan

On MLB Network Jon Heyman just said Kevin Gregg is a good reliever lol