There was a collective cringe — or at least I hope there was — last night when Jorge Posada took a foul ball off the glove and came up in pain. It was the second time in just a few weeks that Posada took one off the left ring finger, though I could have sworn the worst one a few weeks ago hit his (exposed*) throwing hand. In any case, Posada says he re-aggravated the injury, and that it might not “heal until the season is over.” Unfortunately, the Yanks aren’t quite in a position where they can give Jorge an extended break. Which is why they need to rally the troops in the next two weeks. Putting just a little more distance between them and the Red Sox at this point could afford Jorge some rest.
* Sorry for the Posterisk, but it amazes me that Jorge has continued to leave his throwing hand exposed on nearly every pitch, and hasn’t broken his hand yet. We’re taught in Little League to stash that throwing hand behind our backs or directly behind the glove. By high school we’re taught to hide it behind our thigh. Posada learned how to be a catcher in the minors. I thought they would have taught him that there.
One thing Joe Girardi has stressed recently is resting his pitchers down the stretch. Andy Pettitte expressed excitement for this, saying that a fresh pitching staff will really help boost these guys. Now the Yankees have one more reason to extend that lead and play a comfortable September, and that’s Jorge. Maybe his finger won’t completely heal until the off-season, but they can mitigate some of the swelling and pain if they can give him two days off in a row, and can generally keep him out from behind the plate just about every other day.
Even now, the Yanks could give him some extended rest, but they probably can’t/don’t want to fit Francisco Cervelli onto the roster. They’re already playing short a position player because of Damaso Marte’s return, so it looks like they’ll have to suck it up for the next five games. Jorge will play in only three of those — day game after a night game on Sunday, though I’d give him Saturday off — so his exposure will be limited.
If the Yanks are concerned about giving their pitchers a rest down the stretch, they should feel the same for Jorge. The guy is an incredible contributor to the team’s high-octane offense, and while Molina and Cervelli are better defenders, they don’t even come close to Jorge’s bat. They’ll need him come playoff time, meaning it’s of the utmost importance to keep him fresh in the season’s final month.
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