Injury Updates: A-Rod, Teixeira, Granderson

May 6, 2013 by Mike Axisa 54 Comments

(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) — (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

The Yankees are on their way to Colorado and will start a three-game series against the Rockies tomorrow night. The guys on the DL — you know, basically half the team — made their way to Tampa to continue rehabbing instead. Here are some updates, courtesy of the AP and Anthony McCarron.

Alex Rodriguez (hip) played catch and hit off a tee. It’s his first baseball activity since having surgery in January. “(It felt) like being eight years old again when I first grabbed a bat,” he said. “Pretty exciting … really looking forward to getting back.”
Mark Teixeira (wrist) hit in the batting cage and took some ground balls at first base. He’s expected to start taking batting practice in the field in a few days.
Curtis Granderson (forearm) played in another Extended Spring Training game today. He’s been doing that since last Wednesday, so almost a full week now. I can’t imagine an official minor league rehab assignment is too far away.
Michael Pineda (shoulder), Frankie Cervelli (hand), Kevin Youkilis (back), and Ivan Nova (triceps) were all at the complex as well. Derek Jeter (ankle) was not there for whatever reason. He’s still in a walking boot and can’t do much anyway.

RetroRob

That’s quite the collection of talent in Tampa.
- trr
  
  more there than in the B-
  nah, won’t go there…
- MannyGeee
  
  Tampas training complex will have more paid attendance than the Trop for the next few months. Jus sayin
theyankeewarrior

Why is he smiling? He’s obviously not taking this seriously. I want him off the team. We’re better off with Nixy and Nuney. Am I doing this right?
- rudy
  
  he has a belly. he looks fat.
  - Mickey Scheister
    
    I can see his nipples.
- jjyank
  
  Sadly, you are doing it right.
Mike HC

My unrealistic expectations are that all these guys get healthy at the same time and the Yanks go on a great second half run.

My realistic expectations are that some guys will be back, others not, some might under perform and it will be a battle all year.
Pseudoyanks

They’ve got to be pretty psyched during their rehabs with the team doing well. Nobody wants to jump on a sinking ship.
Eddard

A-Rod – He could retire tomorrow and nobody would care. Youk is our guy.

Teixera – Overbay is filling in nicely but Teixera will be a huge addition, especially against LHP.

Grandy – I just wonder who is the odd man out now with Ichiro on such a tear. If Ichiro and Wells keep outperforming Gardner who sits? Hafner has to DH.

The rest we need back. Pineda can take Phelps/Nova’s rotation spot and then we slide Phelps back to the pen. Nova should go back to AAA and work on his stuff. It did wonders for him last time.
- WhittakerWalt
  
  1. Speak for yourself
  
  2. Overbay’s OBP is below .300, so yeah I’d say he’s nothing more than a fill-in
  
  3. If this is Ichiro’s version of being “on such a tear” I wouldn’t miss his bat in the lineup
  - forensic
    
    Ichiro’s hitting nearly .350 in the last 2 weeks, and over .300 since the first 5 games of the season.
    
    Wells hasn’t hit at anyone, except Toronto, since the first week of the season.
    
    Ichiro’s a far better choice at this point.
    - forensic
      
      Ichiro’s a far better choice at this point.
      
      with Wells only periodically playing against lefties for one of the 3, or in Toronto series.
      - LK
        
        Both Steamer and ZiPS have Wells being significantly better over the rest of the season. It’s possible Ichiro is the better choice, but that’s far from clear.
        
        Deathstroke Heathcott
        
        Defense factored in? Or just hitting-wise?
    - JobaWockeeZ
      
      Ichiro is probably the best option but why are we using batting average?
      - forensic
        
        Because it’s the easiest thing to grab and type quickly. Plus, nobody is alleging Ichiro to suddenly be an overly patient or power hitter.
  - Get Phelps Up
    
    Ichiro has hit 313/356/410 since April 6.
    - Get Phelps Up
      
      I would guess Wells and Ichiro will platoon.
      - forensic
        
        Ichiro is killing lefties. I’d rather Wells play for Gardner or Grandy at this point.
        
        http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
        
        That won’t last.
        
        ROBTEN
        
        True.
        
        Ichiro’s dramatic splits right now between right-handed and left-handed pitchers is completely out of line with his career.
        
        It’s also more likely that the recent hot streak is more about regression than a mark of a sudden return to the hitter of four or five years ago.
        
        His current season line of .278/.330/.361 is more in keeping with his two previous years of .277/.308/.361.
        
        Given that his BABIP is now inline with the past few years as well, the current line is probably the truer measure of where Ichiro is now as a hitter than either his cold or hot streaks
    - WhittakerWalt
      
      I meant compared to Granderson. Should have specified.
      - forensic
        
        What is Granderson at this point though? IF the broken bone saps some of his power then he nearly useless. If his disappearing act from the last 3-4 months of last year was real then he’s even more one-dimensional than he already was, and even that one dimension took a hit at that point.
        
        WhittakerWalt
        
        Sure, if he’s as bad as he was at certain points last year. I just think it’s weird to treat an Ichiro hot streak as if that’s the “real” Ichiro going forward.
        
        forensic
        
        Who said it’s just a ‘hot streak’ though? It’s the whole season outside of the first 5 games of the year (and one of those games was just a PH appearance).
        
        forensic
        
        I know people love to hate Ichiro because of his contract and all, but the possibility is there that part of why he was terrible lately in Seattle because the team was constantly terrible and they seem to be good at sabotaging hitters (usually young ones, but it could possibly spread, like a fungus…).
        
        http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
        
        I don’t dislike Ichiro because of his contract. I dislike Ichiro because he’s a 39-year-old corner outfielder with no power, no walks, and no steals (at least this year) who hasn’t hit since 2010.
        
        ROBTEN
        
        Ichiro’s current season line is the same as his last two years in Seattle.
        
        forensic
        
        His season OPS is 50 points higher than his 2011 and his Seattle-2012. And it’s been moving up since the first week of the season.
        
        LK
        
        Gotta adjust for ballpark. His wRC+ is 10% worse this year than last year and only 1% better than 2011.
        
        ROBTEN
        
        2011-2012: .277/.308/.361
        
        2013: 278/.330/.361
        
        forensic
        
        You’re including his NY-2012 time in that line. That’s not just his time in Seattle.
        
        WhittakerWalt
        
        I don’t love to hate Ichiro. I wish he was still an impact player. I hope he wins comeback player of the year this season and leads the league in runs scored.
        
        http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
        
        Why don’t the first five games count? He hit .212/.257/.364 from games 8-16. That doesn’t sound like a hot streak.
        
        forensic
        
        I never said they don’t count. And even including that lower stretch he’s still hitting very well since the early part of the year. Every batter is going to have sluggish stretches like that, especially when you voluntarily take out any good games between two of them.
        
        And sadly enough, even that line is right there with what Wells has done since the first week of the season, outside of the Toronto series.
        
        http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa
        
        Every batter is going to have sluggish stretches like that, especially when you voluntarily take out any good games between two of them.
        
        You mean like Wells and the Toronto series you keep discounting?
        
        LK
        
        I find it funny that you state “Every batter is going to have sluggish stretches like that, especially when you voluntarily take out any good games” then state “that line is right there with what Wells has done since the first week of the season, outside of the Toronto series.”
        
        Wells has a 122 wRC+ this year. Ichiro is at 80. Wells has been much, much better so far this year.
        
        forensic
        
        Yes, a little, but with the Toronto stuff there is a possible tangible reason for the differences there.
        
        And as I said, even if you include the Toronto series Wells still has a sub-.300 OBP and barely over .700 OPS since the first week of the season.
        
        LK
        
        So your point is that when you take out Wells’ best week, his OPS is only slightly better than Ichiro’s for the whole year?
        
        forensic
        
        No, the point is that they’re moving in completely opposite directions since the start of the season and at this point (which everyone seems to be ignoring in my comments so far) Ichiro is a better choice than Wells.
        
        Wells’ performance has been better than everyone expected, especially helping against Toronto and early on, but that is masking that he hasn’t done much other than that, which is unfortunately close to what he’s been in 3 of the last 4 years (yes, similar to how Ichiro sucked with Seattle the last year and a half since I know people will go there next).
        
        LK
        
        Both Steamer and ZiPS think that Wells is a much better play at this point based on the rest of season projections – I agree since he’s been much better this season overall.
        
        If you’re trying to say that Ichiro is “hotter” at the moment, and would advocate playing Wells over Ichiro if Vern-dog has a better week this week, then I get what you’re saying, I just disagree.
- ROBTEN
  
  I can’t believe the A-Rod hatred has reached the point that someone can call Youkilis “our guy.”
  
  See also: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/busted-batters-backs-are-bad/
  
  “Since his first back injury, Youkilis’ production is down over 200 OPS points. Besides the drop in production, he has not been able to stay off the DL for his back. In the two next seasons, he was placed on the DL for his back. A bad back is just sapping what production Youkilis has left in him.”
  - WhittakerWalt
    
    It’s Eddard. You never know if he really means what he says. He also thinks we can’t win without Nunez’s “bat” in the lineup.
    - ROBTEN
      
      Well, to be fair, they can probably win with Nunez’s bat, as long as someone else is swinging it.
      - Robinson Tilapia
        
        I’d get the bat a priest and exterminator as well.
- Heather
  
  Totally agree with your analysis. I like the outfield now, and don’t see where they gain having someone who is guaranteed to strike out on that change-up in the dirt every damn time he has two strikes on him.
TomH

Between having a healthy (I hope) ARod and a healthy Youkilis it isn’t even close. ARod all the way. A healthy ARod scares pitchers and managers. The current Yankee lineup really has only 1 truly scary guy, Cano, although Pronk against righties is in that mix too.

If Granderson and Teixeira are also back and able to hit (I worry about Teixeira in this regard), it’ll be a lively second half.
DInnings

The Yanks should put A-Rod, Jeter, and Teixiera on the 60-day DL on August 1 and save $67.5M like this:

They collect $28M in insurance money by not playing A-Rod, $17M by not playing Jeter.

The World Baseball Classic pays all of Teixiera’s $22.5M for 2013. Like I said on the comments at Yankee Lohud I wouldn’t mind if they paid his 2014-16 salary, too.

A-Rod and Teixiera need to get lost – Jeter, too, if he declines his $8M player’s option for 2014 and asks for two or more years as a media-fueled ransom as what’re the Yanks gonna do, let him, an icon, walk? I know I would if he asks for two or more years the Yanks would be crazy to give him.
- Betty Lizard
  
  Oh please. The Yankees don’t collect $28 million in insurance by not playing Alex. They might collect insurance if Alex could not play at all.
- DC
  
  As usual, you have proven that you have no clue as to what you are talking about, Duh.
EndlessJose

THe idea that A-Rod and Braun aren’t on MLB hit list is crazy and I’m surpised no one brought it up.
Betty Lizard

I am dreaming that Alex Rodriguez will return to the team and hit the snot out of the ball.

#Pollyanna
- MannyGeee
  
  This 300 Million Times THIS.