Its late and I am pretty tired, so I’ll keep this short. Jorge Posada left today’s game with a pull on his hamstring. We’ve seen this countless times. In all liklihood, Posada is going to hit the disabled list for at least a few weeks while he rehabs his hamstring. The Yankees will need to replace him. What are the options?
Francisco Cervelli is on the 40-man roster, but has only played a limited amount of time at the Double-A level, and is not hitting particularly well this season. If Posada’s injury is minor, he could be called up and sat on the bench for the time being. If Posada will be out for an extended period of time, he probably is not the best option.
The best option may be P.J. Pilittere. Pilittere is hitting .317/.349/.488 for Scranton so far this year. He is a strong defensive catcher, and has a fantastic reputation for calling games. The one downside is that Pilittere is not on the 40-man roster. Once Posada returns, he would either have to hog a spot on the roster or be sent through waivers. Pilittere may be hitting well enough right now, but is not regarded as a potential major league caliber backup, and probably has a future as a coach with the organization.
Those are the Yankee’s options. Chris Stewart is available from Scranton, but he is hitting south of Mendoza right now. Kevin Cash is injured. There is no real Chad Moeller or Omir Santos to call upon. If Posada is down for an extended period of time, we have big problems on our hands.
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6 Responses to If Posada Is Injured, Then What?
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TIQ IQ
I think it depends on how long Posada is going to be out for. It it’s a week or less then they should just call up Cervelli and not mess with the 40-man roster.
Cervelli is know as a good Avg., OBP, guy with not a lot of power. He also calls and catches a good game…with those things in mind, he is in a hitting funk right now.
I still think he will be called up, as stated, he is on the 40 man.
If the Yanks go with PJ, I see three possible outcomes:
1. DFA Angel Berroa, option Edwar and call up Juan Miranda. I know he’s no utility guy, but he would hang around to give the bench a tiny bit more depth. The Yanks would just be praying Ramiro Pena stays healthy long enough for A-Rod to get back, after which they would send Miranda back down.
2. Put Ian Kennedy or Xavier Nady on the 60-day DL. Nady would be eligible to come back around June 15th, and Ian Kennedy hasn’t begun throwing yet. I can’t speak to their progress, but from the sound of it, they’re not ready to begin rehabbing yet.
3. DFA Edwar or Veras. This is definitely the most drastic measure. I don’t think an organization should ever give up on that sort of potential, but if they view Coke, Robertson, and Melancon with such high regard (and are optimistic about the pipeline: Claggett, Jackson, Dunn), they could feel they’re capable of absorbing a blow like that.
This, of course, all depends on the outcome of Jorge’s MRI. All I know is that he didn’t seem like he was in as much pain as Phil Hughes was against the Rangers in 2007, so I doubt he’d go to the 60-day DL. But you never know.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Miranda or even Shelley Duncan called up as bench depth. The Yanks used Brett Freaking Gardner as a pinch-hitter last night against Papelbon. Granted, he got an infield hit, but I wouldn’t mind someone who is more of an offensive threat on the bench as a pinch-hitter and potential backup corner outfielder.
I should note that Ian Kennedy isn’t expected to be out for very long.
Xavier Nady on the 60-man seems like a good solution, but also a temporary one. He’ll be back and eventually we’ll have to make the decision to DFA him.
I’m not sure how comfortable I am with Juan Miranda being our only backup infielder. An injury to Jeter, Pena, or Cano would put us in a tough spot. If A-Rod is going to return on Friday as is now rumored, maybe that would be acceptable. Watching Nick Swisher play 2nd base for a few minutes wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
And yeah, what Eric said on the terrible bench. Especially with so many bad players that need to be pinch hit for. I’d consider Todd Linden or John Rodriguez with Gardner being sent down if Melky is cemented as our center fielder.
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