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Lisa Kennelly checks in with Johnny Damon and finds that, while Damon would like to come off the DL, the Yanks are holding him back for a few more days. Damon should be activated for the weekend series against Boston, but his presence on the active roster will further clog up the DH logjam. Due to his shoulder, he won’t be set to play left until next week at the earliest, and he’ll join Jorge Posada as a bat the Yanks need but an arm they can’t afford to have on the field.

We interrupt our slam Jason Varitek All Star Game coverage to bring you some not-so-great news on a few injured Yankees. Via the AP:

Matsui did not hit Tuesday after experiencing additional discomfort in his sore left knee. The Yankees had hoped he might be ready to return when eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list on Friday.

“Perhaps you can say so, it’s a short-term setback,” Matsui said through a translator at the Yankees’ minor league complex. “I’m going to hit tomorrow, that’s the plan anyway.”

Damon, eligible to be activated from the DL on Sunday, continues to have soreness in his injured left shoulder, and won’t likely start hitting off a tee until at least late this week. He underwent treatment only on Tuesday.

“It feels a little better today,” Damon said. “It still feels horrible waking up. I’m still kind of down because I know (Yankees manager Joe) Girardi wants to put me in the lineup on Sunday and I’m not sure we can do that.”

Damon’s news is being reported as a “setback,” but I don’t think that’s entirely accurate. His injury hasn’t gotten worse; it just isn’t getting better as quickly as he and the Yanks had hoped it would. Matsui’s knee and his progress, however, should probably be regarded as a setback, and at this point, I’m skeptical that we’ll see Matsui back in the Bronx before 2009.

With this news, the Yankees are obviously going to have to face a tough decision. While I’m not sold on his long-term prospects, it does make sense to give Richie Sexson a look at DH/1B in a platoon situation. Otherwise, we’ll be stuck with Wilson Betemit in the lineup nearly everyday. Meanwhile, the Yanks will continue to mix and match with Brett Gardner, Melky Cabrera and Justin Christian until Damon recovers. Tough times for the outfield.

“When I go, this team goes a lot smoother.” so said Johnny Damon almost three weeks ago. They had yet to score more than four runs in a game at that point, though the team was heading into just the sixth contest of the season. For his part, Damon had been on the interstate since the second game of the year. Considering his sluggish start in 2007, you could tell he knew the critics were breathing down his neck.

He’s had some good games since then, but it’s not until the past three games that he’s really put everything together. He’s 7 for 14 with a walk in those contests, blasting two doubles and two home runs. He’s picked up is average to .253 and his OBP to .360 — if nothing else, a testament to the fact that it’s still early, and that anyone can turn it around.

It’s easy to write off Damon’s accomplishments as a small sample size. And if someone wants to do so, it’s tough to argue. But I can absolutely see this being a prelude to a solid season by Damon. And we’re going to need it. Because what he said about the team going smoother when he goes is visible in the team’s past three games.

When controversy strikes the Yankee clubhouse, everyone has an opinion about it. Today’s Joba Chamberlain opinion comes to us from Johnny Damon via Tyler Kepner and the Bats blog:

Speaking of Chamberlain, here’s Johnny Damon’s take on his role. It seems to be the majority opinion of the veterans in the clubhouse: “Joba as a starter, he has a chance to help us out once every five days. Him coming in and bridging the gap to Mariano, he’s got a chance to do that three or four times during those five games.

Damon added: “Our objective is to win games. Down the road, if we can find someone else like him to throw that eighth inning, then so be it, he’ll be able to start. But he’s helping us win too many games so far this year.”

The emphasis, of course, is mine.

Johnny Damon’s math, in my opinion, is off a bit. Let’s say the Yankees play three games every five days in which they absolutely need Joba Chamberlain to pitch the 8th. I would consider that to be a one- or two-run save situation in the 8th inning or a situation, like last night, where the game could get out of hand in the 7th. Joba would then be throwing at most three innings every five days.

That math translates to about 100 innings pitched in a 162-game season, and only overworked folks like Scott Proctor see that sort of bullpen use and bause. Joba the starter could be throwing at least six innings every five days for something along the lines of 180-200 innings pitched a season. It’s a no-brainer in terms of numbers.

But what I find interesting about this short piece is how Kepner notes that Damon and the other Yankee veterans all see to prefer Joba in the 8th. To me, it seems as though the idea of Joba has become something of a crutch for the Yankees. Even if he pitches just once in five days because the Yanks lose two games and are winning the other two by lopsided margins, the idea that Joba is in the bullpen does more for the Yankees’ psyche than his presence does in the games.

That, however, is no way to win championships.

Baseball uniform numbers a curious thing. Some players wear numbers in honor of their home; Benny Agbayani’s number 50 comes to mind. Others wear numbers to make something of a statement; think about Bernie Williams, Puerto Rico and the number 51. Others wear numbers to honor their favorite players; Jason Giambi’s 25 commemorates Mickey Mantle’s 7. Yesterday, Tyler Kepner got to talking with Johnny Damon and found out that the Yanks’ left fielder’s 18 is for Darryl Strawberry. Who knew?

Via Jason comes word that Johnny Damon’s right foot is the first of his many nicks and bruises bound to accumulate over the season. An MRI and X-Rays on the foot came back negative, and Damon is listed as day-to-day. These minor injuries that Damon seems to attract are exactly why the Yanks were not as keen to trade Hideki Matsui as many of their fans were this winter.

Here’s something of a surprise: When Johnny Damon left Spring Training last spring for what the Yanks called “personal reasons,” he almost retired, Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman reported today. “I was just exhausted …. Burnt out,” Damon said to Heyman. “[Retirement] definitely crossed my mind.” Damon, who is in better mental and physical shape this year, would have walked away from nearly $40 million.

Is it just me, or has the first few days of Spring Training set the expectations for the Yankees rather high? Sure, many of us can see through the media spin on the events of the past week or so. But even at that point, we’re seeing players do things, rather than just saying them. It’s a careful balance that the Yankees have executed perfectly so far. And I have to say, it has me more excited about this season than I have been in any year I can remember — though I’m fairly certain I say that every year.

First, we heard about the pitchers who showed up early. Joba, Phil, and IPK in particular were there before they required to, which is always reassuring. We also heard about Shelley Duncan showing up to work on his first base skills with Tino Martinez. And, Cap’n Jetes was there early, too. But he resides in Tampa, so it only makes sense for him to be around.

Then we heard about Brian Bruney losing weight. Good news, for sure. If anything, it shows that he’s at least a bit motivated. It’s certainly better than him showing up in the same physical shape as last year, and spouting off lines about his determination to make the team. PeteAbe also noted that Mike Mussina checked in lighter, which spoke to his off-season conditioning. We also heard about Kyle Farnsworth being less bulky, but then it was revealed that he dealt with a rather nasty staph infection last month.

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While the Mets and Phillies are engaged in their annual pissing contest over who’s the best in the NL East, Johnny Damon predicted his own early season success today:

“I’m ready to go out there and prove to everyone that I’m still a pretty good player. I’ve been pretty consistent over my career. But when you talk about good players in the league my name hardly comes up and I don‘t think that’s right. I need to go out there and show them.”

Peter Abraham notes that Damon looks like he’s in great shape. This is, needless to say, great news for Yankee fans. Damon got off to a terrible start last season and didn’t really hit his stride until August when his nagging injuries cleared up.

Meanwhile, over the last few seasons, the Yanks have started the year 9-14 (2007), 13-10 (2006), 10-14 (2005) and 12-11 (2004). If they could get out to a fast start, the team’s winning ways would take some pressure off the pitching. Make no mistake about it; Johnny Damon atop the Yankee lineup will be a major factor in that potential success.

Nothing really of note here, just thought I’d pass on some Yankee-related news. Johnny Damon was scheduled to introduce presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani today in Orlando. It’s doubtful that even Damon has the powers to revive the former NYC mayor’s campaign.