Derek Jeter’s surgically repaired left ankle has been bothering him, so much so that he could miss the New York Yankees’ Opening Day game against rival Boston on April 1.
General manager Brian Cashman said Jeter could start the season on the disabled list. But ”at this stage, I just don’t know, so all I can do is acknowledge it’s a possibility,” Cashman said.
The 38-year-old Jeter, who has missed the last two exhibition games, received an anti-inflammatory injection in his ankle. The Yankees start the regular season April 1 at home against Boston.
”We’ve got to do what’s right for him,” Cashman said. ”Whatever’s right for him will be right for us. I’m not saying he’s going to be (put on the disabled list), but I can’t tell you it won’t be. I don’t think it’s anything serious, I just think it’s a timing issue.”
Jeter broke his ankle last year in the first game of the AL championship series against Detroit. He waited a while before making his debut in a spring training game, starting out as a designated hitter on March 9 and later playing in the field for the first time.
”We’ve got to be in a position where he plays a full nine innings of defense, and be able to do back-to-back (games) and all this other stuff,” Cashman said. ”We’ll see how he responds, but I can’t give you certainty now that what he’s just experienced isn’t going to push it back a little bit.”
Cashman says he doesn’t know when Jeter will resume playing in spring training games. He was removed from the lineup against Philadelphia on Tuesday for ”precautionary” reasons because his ankle felt stiff.
The 13-time All-Star is 3 for 11 so far. The team captain led the American League with 216 hits and batted .316 with 15 homers and 58 RBIs last year.
”The doctor said, basically, you can experience a lot of different things along the pathway, so it’s not a surprise,” Cashman said. ”His rehab has gone extremely well, but obviously after the back to back, it barked a little bit. He’s going to have ups and downs in the early portion of it, but eventually at some point he’ll be past this. We’ve just got to make sure we take the right steps so it’s eventually behind him.”
