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Giambi ready to rehab

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According to Pete Abe, Giambi will begin his rehab assignment Friday in Tampa. He’ll play DH in the games on Friday and Saturday, after which he will be re-evaluated. Giambi hopes to be back in the Yanks lineup next week.

I really don’t understand the negative sentiment of Giambi’s return expressed by some Yankees fans. If he hits, the team will be better. That’s it. You can argue some chemistry factor, but it’s not like Giambi being in the lineup will make everyone else stop hitting.

Of course, how he plays depends on how healthy his heel is. But if he’s producing, he’ll help.

Injury updates: A-Rod, Giambi, Hughes

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We’re still tied at five at the Stadium. I’m sure I’ll spend plenty of time ragging on Kei Igawa later on, but let’s get to some more optimistic news.

A-Rod is to undergo an MRI today — though he was in the dugout, so maybe it happened already. We’ll update this section when we hear the results.
Update: From the YES postgame: MRI came back negative. Expect A-Rod to play tomorrow night.

Giambi is out of the boot and will be reevaluated. He’s got an MRI coming that will determine when he’ll be back (and boy could we use him).

Hughes is throwing BP today in Tampa, and is on target to start a rehab assignment soon:

I mentioned Hughes earlier, and there’s some good news on that front—he could start a rehab assignment next week. His ankle is healed, so now the biggest challenge for him is rebuilding his stamina. If he starts next week, he could be back in The Bronx before we flip the calendar, but expect a very deliberate, conservative plan for him.

All in all, we’re sitting on some decent news. Updates if any come later today.

News via Pete Abraham and Will Carroll.

Update by Mike: While we’re on the topic of injured players, I might as well mention this little tidbit from Kat O’Brien over at Newsday:

Jeff Karstens (broken leg) is not yet throwing batting practice, but is throwing from a mound.
…
Doug Mientkiewicz (broken wrist) and Darrell Rasner (fractured finger) are scheduled to go to Tampa at the All-Star break for further rehab.

Getting players healthy is always a good thing; even if no one has any friggin’ idea where they’ll play once they’re ready to do so.

Giambi not progressing much

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According to the Daily News, Jason Giambi hasn’t made much progress in his quest to heal his torn plantar fascia. The report says he’s still wearing a boot. While the initial timetable put his return date at around the start of July, some less optimistic writers speculated that Giambi could miss the whole season. Right now, it’s not looking too good for the Yanks’ DH.

USAToday: Giambi may face suspension if…

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Here’s a lesson Bud Selig wants you to learn: If you tell the truth, you will be suspended. If you talk about the black mark on baseball’s past in an honest and frank way, your comments will be lorded above you and used against you unless you cooperate.

In a story bound to ruffle some feathers, mine included, Bob Nightengale of USAToday reports that Bud Selig will suspend Jason Giambi next week if the slugger does not cooperate with the Senator Mitchell’s spineless steroid witch hunt. The relevant parts follow:

Commissioner Bud Selig is heading toward suspending Jason Giambi next week if the New York Yankees slugger does not cooperate with former Sen. George Mitchell’s investigation on steroid use, according to a high-ranking Major League Baseball official.

The official, who talked with Selig but has not been granted permission to speak publicly because of ongoing talks, said Selig wants Giambi’s decision by Tuesday.

Now, let’s review: Jason Giambi has never failed a steroid test under MLB’s rules; he has never broken MLB’s drug policy. While I do not at all condone his use of steroids as detailed in the BALCO Grand Jury testimony and Game of Shadows, this is outrageous. Bud Selig wants to suspend Jason Giambi because he had the guts to come forward and discuss steroid use in baseball on the record.

Selig is trying to use Giambi’s comments to give some weight to what everyone already thinks is a spineless investigation. The Mitchell Investigation has floundered. It has no subpoena power and is instead relying on players to volunteer information. Well, the players have just learned a lesson: If you volunteer information to someone other than Mitchell, be prepared to face the consequences.

The Players Association will file a grievance in this case, and they would probably win such a case. Selig is about to start down a dangerous path that could threaten nearly a decade of labor peace in baseball. Let’s hope this doesn’t come to pass.

Giambi to the DL

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We’ve been calling for it for weeks, and now it’s reality. Doctors found a “tear of the plantar fascia in his left foot.” He won’t even be checked out again for another three weeks.

No word yet on who will fill his role. Speculation early today was that Matt DeSalvo would be optioned back to AAA in favor of a reliever — likely Chris Britton. Does this change things? Would the Yankees consider carrying 13 pitchers to Fenway? It wouldn’t make much sense to me.

Right now, we’re looking at a handful of possibilities. I’ll list them in order of probability: Kevin Thompson, Andy Phillips, Shelly Duncan, Eric Duncan. Problem is, the latter three would have to be added to the 40-man roster. Though, that might not be a problem, since the team can likely stick Phil Hughes on the 60-day DL.

More as we hear it. Pete Abe speculates that this means Damon DHs more, meaning Melky in center. That would mean a KT call-up, since he’s the best option as a replacement outfielder. If Damon is going to continue playing the field, look for Phillips.

Update by Ben: And let me preemptively say that Bernie is not coming back. It’s not an option; it wouldn’t help the team; don’t even mention it.

Update by Joe: It’s Thompson.

Daily News: Giambi failed amphetamines test

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Much like Barry Bonds before, Jason Giambi, according to reports in today’s Daily News, failed an amphetamines test last year. With the recent controversy over his comments in U.S.A. Today, this revelation means either Giambi was apologizing for failing this speed test or he’s in more trouble than we first thought. Meanwhile, yesterday, Joe Sheehan at Baseball Prospectus, in a piece viewable for everyone, issued an eloquent appeal to MLB to leave the past in the past. Only time will tell what Giambi’s future on the Yanks or in baseball holds.

Update by Joe P.: I wanted to put this up yesterday, but I was running out the door when I heard it. Peter Gammons is reporting that the Daily News report isn’t necessarily true. Then again, since it was an unconfirmed report in the first place, we should have just assumed that.

You may have heard some nasty rumors

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Some hack of a journalist has been spreading rumors about the Angels being interested in Jason Giambi. We here at River Ave. Blues try not to acknowledge this person, so his name will not get a mention. Just know that he probably made this up, as he has plenty of trade rumors in the past.

Some things to consider:
1) Giambi has a full no-trade clause. His option for 2009 is freaking insane — $22 million. That’s usually the condition of a player waiving his NTC, and that goes especially for a player like Giambi, who would be leaving a team for which he likes to play.

2) Who’s going to fill his role at DH?

3) The reported return — Chone Figgins and Jose Molina — is laughable, and that’s being generous. Even if Bill Stoneman uncharacteristically included a C prospect like Dustin Mosely, it’s still not worth it.

This is nonsense.

Update: You know, the last [unnamed hack] rumor I remember creating a swirl like this was Humberto Sanchez and Melky Cabrera for Dontrelle Wilis. Yeah. Mike remembers Spring Training 2005, when it was Cano, Wang, and Eric Duncan for Ben Sheets. So that’s how much stock you should put in this.