Baseball Yankees Would Be Smart To DL Jeter, Martin by Staff Post June 14, 2011 The injuries continue to mount for the New York Yankees. Derek Jeter is the latest injury concern after leaving last nights game in the fifth inning. After having an MRI, the captain’s injury is classified as a Grade 1 calf strain. While they may sound minor, calf injuries can be very tough to overcome, as Yankees fans will remember well from Alex Rodriguez last season. Rest is generally the best option in order to prevent the injury from becoming more severe. Russell Martin was a late scratch from last nights game with a stiff back. The back has been giving the catcher problems since he injured it last week weightlifting. Martin had missed four games before returning to the field on Sunday. Sunday may have been to soon as Martin appeared very sluggish and uncomfortable at times. Francisco Cervelli replaced Martin in the lineup yesterday. Back injuries are also very hard to manage at times and Martin’s appears to be one of those. A good two weeks off would be smart. With interleague games in National League parks approaching this weekend, the Yankees can not afford to play with a limited bench. A deeper bench is important as there will likely be more pinch hitting situations when pitchers are forced to bat during interleague play. Keeping Jeter and Martin on the active roster will limit the teams. What is more devastating; missing two weeks in June or missing a month or more later in the season? The Yankees have plenty of minor league options available if they choose to place Jeter on the DL. They could call up Ramiro Pena or Brandon Laird to be an infield bench player. If they place Martin on the DL, the Yankees could decide to give top prospect Jesus Montero his Major League debut. Of course Yankees fans would love to see that. Having Montero debut on the road would also take away some of the pressure by not having to play in Yankee Stadium immediately. If the Yankees are not ready to call up Montero, they could bring back Gustavo Molina who is playing in Triple-A as well. Montero would be an upgrade offensively over Molina and even over Cervelli. With Jeter being just six hits away from 3,000, the timing of this injury stinks. Of course, the captain would need a big three games in order to get the milestone at home in Yankee Stadium. A milestone is secondary to the leadoff hitters health now. Sure, you would hope the injuries just need a day or two to rest but the Yankees must decide if it’s worth the risk. Placing one, or both, of these players on the disabled list is the smart move and the team should do this sooner rather than later. Post Views: 1,442 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Staff Post Latest posts by Staff Post (see all) In The Zone Announces Initial Podcast Lineup - November 13, 2020 The Essential Resources You Need to Start Your Own Gym in 2020 - February 6, 2020 Wilder vs Fury II – How the second fight will be different to the first? - February 5, 2020 Early turnovers, defensive struggles plague the Scarlet Knights - January 26, 2020 Related TopicsBrandon LairdDerek JeterGustavo Molinajesus monteroNew York YankeesRamiro PenaRussell Martin Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 From Paramus High School to CBS Sports, Spero Dedes is making waves in sports broadcasting by Sunil Sunder Raj | posted on October 27, 2020 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 19, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 113: New York Post Columnist Phil Mushnick (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 29, 2021 More in Baseball You Know I’m Right, Episode 112: New York Jets’ Insider Brian Costello (Audio/Video) On the 112th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) On the 109th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 108: WFAN’s Sweeny Murti (Audio/Video) On the 108th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... You Know I’m Right, Episode 107: New York Post’s Columnist Mike Vaccaro (Audio/Video) On the 107th episode of You Know I’m Right, Nick Durst and Joe Calabrese are joined by... McCarville Speaks Out About Suspension Thunder Pass Senators Behind Mujica's 4 RBI