Archive for Brett Gardner
Girardi on Gardner coming off DL: “It’s going to happen”
Posted by: | CommentsVia Mark Hale, manager Joe Girardi said that the Yankees are planning to activate Brett Gardner off the DL before the end of the season, they’re just not sure when exactly. “It’s going to happen,” said the skipper. “I just can’t tell you exactly what day … We’re just not quite ready to make the move yet.
Gardner, 29, started a light hitting program earlier this week and has been running the bases/taking fly balls for a bit longer. The Yankees won’t be able to use him as anything more than a pinch-runner/defensive replacement down the stretch, which I suppose is better than nothing. The club will have to make a 40-man roster move to activate Gardner off the 60-day DL though, and frankly I have absolutely no idea who will get the boot. Could be Derek Lowe, Casey McGehee, Steve Pearce, Cory Wade, Justin Thomas … lots of candidates.
Brett Gardner begins hitting program, could have been activated tonight
Posted by: | CommentsVia David Waldstein, outfielder Brett Gardner has started a hitting program and could have been activated in time for tonight’s game had it not been rained out. He is still a ways off from hitting in a game and would have been limited to pinch-running and late-game defense only. It sounds like Gardner will be activated one way or the other very soon, which will require a 40-man roster move.
Gardner ran the bases and bunted today, could be activated soon
Posted by: | CommentsBrett Gardner has only played in nine of the team’s 144 games this season, but it’s possible the Yankees will have their speedster in a limited capacity for the stretch run. Gardner ran the bases and practiced bunting on the field today, and Joe Girardi said it’s a “possibility” they will use him as a pinch-runner/defensive specialist in the coming weeks.
A right elbow strain/bone bruise suffered sliding for a ball in April has kept Brett on the shelf basically all season, though he did end up having three different setbacks during his rehab before finally having surgery earlier this summer. The Yankees would have to make a 40-man roster move to activate Gardner off the 60-day DL, which really isn’t a huge deal. It’s always a concern when a player can’t swing a bat, but expanded rosters should allow Joe Girardi to limit his usage.
Gardner may be able to rejoin Yankees in September
Posted by: | CommentsBrett Gardner had surgery to remove inflamed tissue and shave down bone spurs in his right elbow late last month, but there’s a chance he could rejoin the Yankees as a pinch-runner/defensive specialist when the rosters expand in September. “If there’s a way he can help us, we’ll definitely use him,” said Joe Girardi today. “If there’s certain things that he can’t do and it’s during the month of August, then you’re kind of limited and you limit your roster. But with an expanded roster, if he can help us, we’ll definitely use him, if it doesn’t jeopardize him getting back next year.”
The Yankees have used guys like Greg Golson and Freddy Guzman as their pinch-runner/defensive replacement late in the season in recent years, and if Gardner can’t return in September that responsibility could fall onto the shoulders of Melky Mesa. He was just promoted to Triple-A and homered in his third game yesterday. Mesa’s already on the 40-man roster, so it’ll be interesting to see if he gets the nod if needed.
Gardner will have arthroscopic surgery next week
Posted by: | CommentsBrett Gardner will have arthroscopic surgery to remove inflamed tissue in his right elbow next week, the Yankees announced. Team doctor Dr. Ahmad will perform the procedure and it will likely end Gardner’s season.
Gardner suffered a bone bruise and an elbow strain on a sliding catch in the team’s 11th game of the season and has since suffered three setbacks during his rehab. He made it as far as minor league games in the first two attempts. The Raul Ibanez-Andruw Jones platoon has been absurdly productive in left field in the meantime, but the Yankees really lack speed on offense without Gardner. Plus their defense suffered big time. Whether or not they try to plug the hole via trade remains to be seen.
The Implication of Gardner’s Latest Setback
Posted by: | Comments
(Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Brett Gardner has played in just nine of 89 games this season, though he took a step closer to returning when he came to the plate four times in a simulated game on Sunday. Unfortunately, Brett woke up yesterday with the same familiar soreness in his right (non-throwing) elbow and has again been shutdown. What was originally diagnosed as a bone bruise and an elbow strain in April has now resulted in three (three!) setbacks. He will head for yet another MRI today.
The Yankees have the best record in baseball and have more than survived the loss of Gardner, but that doesn’t mean this setback is insignificant. Raul Ibanez has played far more left field than expected and the Yankees are concerned about the 40-year-old wearing down as the season progresses, particularly in the scorching hot months of July and August. The team also lacks speed on offense and the outfield defense went from a strength to a weakness in one fell swoop. Gardner’s glovework is that good.
There’s a chance today’s MRI will bring good news and Brett will just need another day or two of rest, but at this point the Yankees can’t count on that. Whatever this thing is, it’s just not healing for some reason. Ibanez has filled in capably and Dewayne Wise has had his moments, but the club is going to have to go out and find an outfield upgrade at some point before the deadline. They haven’t gotten a shred of good news about Gardner’s elbow since we found out it wasn’t broken back in April and there’s little reason to expect any in the near future.
The tricky thing is that just any old outfielder won’t work. Since Wise will presumably get the axe to clear the eventual roster spot, they need to make sure any player they acquire can play center field. You don’t want Nick Swisher or Andruw Jones out there in anything other than an emergency. That’s not just a preference when looking for a replacement outfielder, it’s a requirement. Center field skills are a must. Speed and ability to work the count would be preferred, but they aren’t necessary. Essentially the Yankees should be looking for someone similar to Gardner but better than Wise, who admittedly has played well in his limited action.
So who is that player? Beats me. I haven’t really looked but I’m sure we could dig up a name or two after a while. Some of them may even belong to players who are actually available. The Yankees do have Chris Dickerson stashed in Triple-A and I’ve been beating that drum for a few weeks now, but it’s clear they prefer Wise at this point. Either way, the outfield situation became both murkier and clearer with news of Gardner’s latest setback. We don’t really know which way the team will go now but at least they do know that something has to be done about their outfield situation. Waiting around for Brett was reasonable for the first half of the season, but doing the same down the stretch isn’t advisable.
Injury Updates: Andy Pettitte & Brett Gardner
Posted by: | CommentsGot some injury updates…
- Andy Pettitte (ankle) had a checkup recently and said everything is healing like it should be. “It looks good … It’s healing up good. Doc said the break was about 50 percent closed up, so that’s good,” said Pettitte, who still can’t run but has been working out in a pool and throwing. [Mike Mazzeo]
- Brett Gardner (elbow) played three innings in a simulated game yesterday and had four at-bats. He came up sore today is being given the day off. As you can imagine, Joe Girardi expressed some concern. [Chad Jennings & Bryan Hoch]
- Update: Ken Davidoff says Gardner will have yet another MRI tomorrow. Time to explore the trade market in earnest.
Midseason Review: Incomplete Grades
Posted by: | CommentsDuring the next few days we’ll take some time to review the first half of the season and look at which Yankees are meeting expectations, exceeding expectations, and falling short of expectations. What else is the All-Star break good for?
(Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
It takes a total team effort to finish the first half with the best record in baseball, and the Yankees have already used 35 different players this season. Not all of them have made a significant contributions though, mostly because they simply haven’t had a chance to play all that much. I’m talking up-and-down relievers, miscellaneous fill-ins, and those who got injured.
Andy Pettitte
Blame Casey Kotchman. He hit the one-hop ground ball that fractured Pettitte’s left ankle on June 27th and will cause the left-hander to miss no fewer than two months. Prior to the injury, Andy’s return from retirement was a smashing success. He pitched to a 3.22 ERA (3.37 FIP) in 58.2 innings with ungodly peripherals: 9.05 K/9 (25.2 K%), 2.30 BB/9 (6.4 BB%), and 58.3% grounders. The strikeout and ground ball numbers are career bests by not small margins and the walk rate is more than half-a-walk better than his career average.
Obviously there are sample size issues with that, but what’s done is done. Pettitte pitched that well in his nine starts and the Yankees will miss him immensely in the second half. It’s unclear if he’ll come back with that kind of effectiveness — the injury was to his push-off leg — or if he’ll even come back period. Andy could decide that the rehab and getting back into playing shape is just too much. I wouldn’t bet on it, but you never know. It was a fluke injury, it happens, but it still put a major damper on the best story of the season.
(REUTERS/Mike Segar)
Brett Gardner
The Yankees have gotten exactly nine games out of Gardner this year. He didn’t even start two of them, he came off the bench to play defense for exactly one inning each time. Those nine games include 34 plate appearances (.321/.424/.393 with two steals) and 14 defensive chances. That’s it, that’s all they’ve gotten out of Gardner in 2012.
An elbow injury suffered while making a sliding catch against the Twins is the culprit. It was diagnosed as a bone bruise and an elbow strain, and twice Gardner has suffered setbacks after working his way back in minor league rehab games. He’s not expected back until the end of this month at the earliest, over 100 games into the season. The Yankees have done just fine without Gardner in the lineup and in left field, but they sorely lack team speed and the defense can always use an upgrade. His absence has been notable.
D.J. Mitchell & Adam Warren
We figured we would see these two — and David Phelps as well — at some point this season, and it didn’t take all that long. Mitchell made his debut in relief in early-May and has thrown a total of 3.2 innings across two stints and three appearances with the big league club. He’s allowed one run, five hits, and one walk in that time. The Yankees are carrying him as a long reliever right now due to the Pettitte and CC Sabathia injuries, so he has a chance to stick around by simply pitching well and soaking up innings.
Warren’s introduction to the big leagues wasn’t nearly as kind. The White Sox tattooed him for six runs on eight hits and two walks in just 2.1 innings late last month, his only appearance for the team. The Yankees called him up as an emergency replacement for Sabathia and sent him back to Triple-A the next day. You only get one debut and it wasn’t a good one for Warren, but he’ll surely get another chance to help the team at some point.
Chad Qualls, Darnell McDonald & Ryota Igarashi
All three midseason additions, all three having minimum impact thus far. Qualls was acquired from the Phillies in a minor trade less than two weeks ago and has allowed one run in his three appearances so far. He’ll stick around as a sixth or seventh inning matchup guy for the time being. McDonald was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox last week and went hitless in four plate appearances against his former team last weekend. He’ll most likely be remembered for causing Curtis Granderson to drop a routine pop-up on Saturday night. Igarashi has made all of one appearance for the Yankees since being claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays earlier this year, allowing one run in one inning against the Mets. He’ll ride the Triple-A shuttle a few more times in the second half.
Gardner expected back no earlier than July 27th
Posted by: | CommentsVia Andrew Marchand, GM Brian Cashman confirmed that the earliest we will see Brett Gardner back with the big league team is July 27th. “He is swinging off of a tee,” said Cashman. “He’s been fine but as you know, his first two outings that’s what he did. He was fine until he got all the way through a major league rehab. There is going to be a lot of, ‘He’s fine,’ up until he is playing in rehab games.”
The 27th is only two weeks and two days away, but Gardner still needs to get on the field and take actual batting practice before appearing in minor league rehab games. I assume the team will be a little more conservative with his rehab this time around given the two setbacks, so it’s possible we won’t see him back until August. They’ve done just fine without him, but it sure will be nice once the Yankees get his speed back in the lineup and his defense back in the outfield.
Injury Updates: Gardner, Joba, Banuelos
Posted by: | CommentsInjury updates? Injury updates!…
- Brett Gardner (elbow) will take dry swings at some point this weekend, his first time doing any sort of serious baseball activity since suffering his second setback. If all goes well during his latest rehab attempt, he’s expected back at the end of the month. [George King]
- Joba Chamberlain (elbow, ankle) faced six batters during a 25-pitch simulated game this morning. He struck out three, walked one, and allowed a hit. He and the team will get together to discuss the next step, which could be a minor league rehab game. [Mark Didtler]
- Austin Romine (back) caught Joba today. Two days ago we heard that he still a few weeks away from returning to game action. [Didtler]
- David Aardsma (elbow) has not resumed throwing and is still awaiting test results after feeling pain in his surgically repaired right elbow about a week ago. [Didtler]
- Pedro Feliciano (shoulder) continues to throw bullpen sessions and figures to begin facing hitters in live batting practice at some point soon. [Didtler]
- Manny Banuelos (elbow) has been throwing in Tampa for a few weeks now according to Dellin Betances. The two are close friends. Still no timetable for Manny’s return, however. [Josh Norris]
