Archive for Curtis Granderson
Yankees activate Curtis Granderson, option Vidal Nuno to Triple-A
Posted by: | CommentsThe Yankees have officially activated Curtis Granderson off the 15-day DL, the team announced. In a corresponding move, Vidal Nuno to optioned down to Triple-A. That’s no surprise after yesterday’s start rendered him unavailable for at least the next three days. The fresh Brett Marshall remains with the team as the long man for the time being.
Update: Granderson on his way to New York
Posted by: | Comments11:36pm: On Twitter, Granderson said he is on his way to New York. Still nothing official about him coming off the DL, but the writing is on the wall.
8:34pm: In his latest minor league rehab game with Triple-A Scranton, Curtis Granderson went 1-for-3 with a single to right-center and a walk. He flew out to center and right in his other two at-bats. Granderson played six innings in left field and was removed for a pinch-runner after the walk, the first time he played fewer than eight innings during his rehab assignment. Add in Brennan Boesch‘s recent demotion, and all signs point to the Grandyman rejoining the Yankees on Tuesday. That is not yet official, of course.
When the Grandy-Man Returns
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(Scranton Times-Tribune)
The return of Curtis Granderson is imminent. The forearm has apparently healed well. His bat seems to be rounding into form (.412/.412/.588, 185 wRC+ during his time with AAA). This is great news. It also puts Joe Girardi in a bit of quandary in terms of lineups. He’ll have to figure out how to delegate playing time to Granderson, Brett Gardner, Vernon Wells, and Ichiro Suzuki. Although Ben Francisco is technically still in the mix at this juncture, I’d have to assume his days are numbered as a Yankee barring something unforeseen.
Brennan Boesch hasn’t been particularly effective through a limited number of opportunities thus far (.205/.244/.436, 77 wRC+), and he was sent down this afternoon in favor of another pitcher. That is not a surprise. He was used sparingly as a platoon option, which was fine. Exactly as it should be.
Here’s how Gardner, Wells, and Ichiro have fared so far:
|
Player |
PA |
HR |
BB% |
K% |
BABIP |
AVG |
OBP |
SLG |
wRC+ |
|
| Gardner |
158 |
3 |
8.9% |
20.3% |
.314 |
.259 |
.329 |
.403 |
.321 |
98 |
| Wells |
143 |
9 |
7.0% |
13.3% |
.286 |
.295 |
.343 |
.530 |
.374 |
135 |
| Ichiro |
129 |
2 |
6.2% |
10.9% |
.282 |
.263 |
.307 |
.364 |
.286 |
74 |
I suspect Girardi is going to be forced into keeping Wells in the lineup, whether as an outfielder or DH, as long as his bat is above-average. This isn’t a bad thing by any means as long as he’s productive. Of the three outfielders listed above, he’s also the only who will really hit for any power.
As far as Gardner and Suzuki are concerned, I basically view them as the same guy. Neither are slouches defensively. Both are quick around the bases (though Ichiro may have the better base stealing instincts). Offensively, they both will look to get on base via the single (usually of the slap variety) the majority of the time. Ichiro will likely maintain the higher batting average, while Gardner will take a few more walks and allow a few more strike outs. One difference between the two, however, is that Ichiro has a much more noticeable split.
If I were the manager I would probably start Wells in left, have Gardner remain in center, and place Granderson in right (which would mitigate bad defensive routes). This would also place power bats in both OF corner slots while allowing Gardner to maximize his defensive value. Girardi could then substitute Ichiro into the game in the later innings as a defensive upgrade in right when necessary. I suppose the caveat here would be that the occasional platoon would still be utilized if specific matchups warranted it or the occasional off day was needed for a particular guy.
Should Girardi elect to keep Granderson in center, then I suppose I would shift Gardner to left where has has plenty of experience, and push Vernon to right. For what it’s worth, Granderson has been rehabbing at all three outfield positions apparently, so hopefully that’s a precursor to him playing a fair amount of games at the corners despite it being contrary to Girardi’s statements on the matter.
Granderson picks up three hits, plays right in latest rehab game
Posted by: | CommentsIn his fourth rehab game with Triple-A Scranton, Curtis Granderson went 3-for-5 with three singles (two to left, one to right) and one strikeout. He grounded out to first in the other at-bat. Granderson played all nine innings in right field and had to make three plays — he fielded a single hit in front of him and caught two fly balls of unknown difficulty. Curtis is scheduled to stay with the team through the end of their homestand tomorrow, but the plan after that is unclear. He could be activated, he could continue rehabbing. We’ll find out eventually.
Curtis Granderson singles twice in latest rehab game
Posted by: | CommentsIn his third minor league rehab game with Triple-A Scranton, Curtis Granderson went 2-for-4 with two strikeouts. He singled once to right and once back up the middle. Granderson spent the game at DH as planned, and he played all nine innings. Donnie Collins says Curtis is expected to remain with the team until the end of their homestand on Monday, so I suppose he could be activated off the DL and re-join the big league team as soon as Tuesday. I guess we’ll find out.
Granderson homers, plays left in second minor league rehab game
Posted by: | CommentsIn his second minor league rehab game with Triple-A Scranton, Curtis Granderson went 1-for-5 with an opposite field two-run homer and a strikeout. He grounded out in his other three at-bats. Granderson played eight innings in left after playing seven innings in right in his first rehab game, and he only had to make two plays: retrieve a double from the gap and catch a can of corn pop-up. So far, so good.
Granderson singles, plays right field in first Triple-A rehab game
Posted by: | CommentsIn his first minor league rehab game with Triple-A Scranton, Curtis Granderson went 1-for-3 with an infield single and two ground ball outs. He played seven innings in right field and only had to make two plays — retrieve a double from the corner and reel in a single hit in front of him. The seven innings thing was planned according to Donnie Collins, and it’ll probably be a few days before Granderson plays a full nine innings. I suspect he’ll see time in all three outfield spots as well.
Curtis Granderson to join Triple-A Scranton tomorrow
Posted by: | CommentsVia Donnie Collins: Curtis Granderson will join Triple-A Scranton tomorrow, officially starting his 20-day rehab stint. He’s expected to play four or five games with the team. The 32-year-old slugger hit a homer and played all three outfield positions during an Extended Spring Training game today. Barring any setbacks, it sounds like Granderson could join the Yankees within a week.
Injury Updates: A-Rod, Teixeira, Granderson
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(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.
Girardi hedges against Granderson remaining in center field
Posted by: | CommentsVia Brian Heyman: Joe Girardi hedged a bit when talking about Curtis Granderson‘s position yesterday. “We’ll decide that as time goes on,” said the skipper. “We’ve talked about Grandy; we just want to get him healthy … We might toy around with some other things (with Granderson), left, right, other things. He’s getting reps everywhere right now.”
Granderson, 32, has been playing all three outfield spots during his rehab in Extended Spring Training. Brian Cashman has said they will keep him in center when he returns from his broken forearm, though this stuff is never official until he actually gets back out on the field. The team’s best all-around outfield probably has Granderson in left, Brett Gardner in center and Vernon Wells in right, but I’m guessing we’ll see some kind of rotation when (if) everyone’s healthy. Hopefully they make a final decision soon though, I’m sure everyone involved would like to have some clarity.
