Derek Jeter isn’t a lock to return from the disabled list Monday night in Cleveland.
“If everything goes right, we will try to get him to Cleveland,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said of Jeter, who is scheduled to play in rehab games for Double-A Trenton tonight and tomorrow. “Monday is the day we are shooting for, but it depends.”
Jeter was in Trenton last night to work out, but did not play for the Thunder after rain forced his workout in Tampa to be scratched. He has been out since suffering Grade 1 right calf strain June 13.
After last night’s 5-1 win over the Mets at Citi Field, the Yankees are 13-3 without Jeter. His replacement, Eduardo Nunez, went 4-for-4 and is batting .309 (17-for-55) since replacing Jeter.
Jeter is six hits shy of 3,000, and if he doesn’t play Monday night, chances are he won’t get the historic hit against the Indians because the Yankees play Tuesday and Wednesday in Cleveland before returning home Thursday to open a four-game series against the Rays.
Cashman said it has not been determined how many innings Jeter will play tonight.
“I wouldn’t want him to play nine innings,” Cashman said. “I will talk with the trainers.”
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Phil Hughes would like his next start to be in the big leagues, but he is in the dark if that will happen.
“No idea,” Hughes said when asked about the day and location of his next outing. His last rehab start was Wednesday for Trenton.
According to Cashman, there are several options on the table.
“We are talking about a six-man rotation and talking about another rehab start,” Cashman said.
The six-man rotation is not favorable to CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett because they thrive on working every fifth day. An extra day of rest would benefit Bartolo Colon, who is set to come off the DL to start today, and Freddy Garcia, tomorrow’s starter.
But do you tinker with the rotation to benefit your fourth and fifth starters?
Cashman said earlier this week that Hughes will go into the rotation when he returns and not be used in relief, a role in which he thrived during the 2009 season.
Manager Joe Girardi said the probable starters for the three games in Cleveland are Burnett, Sabathia and Ivan Nova, last night’s starter — the key word being “probable.”
“I don’t mean to be a smart [aleck], but probable, it’s probable,” Girardi said. “That is not etched in stone. Maybe I change my mind. Every starter that ever goes out is a probable. I have the option of changing my mind. If you see their name in the lineup that day, it is definite.”
Girardi suggested the possibility of another rehab outing for Hughes.
“We have to decide how we get through this weekend. If we decide do we want to give him one more start in the minor leagues to build him up even further or do we feel that he’s ready to go,” he said. “That’s the determination we have to make in the next couple of days.”
If it is believed Hughes is ready to come off the disabled list, Girardi said he was unsure where he would drop him into the rotation.
“I don’t have an answer for you right now,” Girardi said. “He’s going to pitch somewhere. I just can’t tell you exactly where it is because we don’t have a clear-cut answer yet.”
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Alex Rodriguez‘s RBI double high off the left-field wall in the ninth inning easily would have been a home run in most major league ballparks, and is the latest example of Citi Field being a power hitter’s nightmare.
“I am not sure,” Rodriguez said when asked how many parks could hold the blast. “I wasn’t sure [it was out], but I thought it was.”
Rodriguez, who went 2-for-5, has not homered in 59 at-bats.
Nick Swisher was shocked the ball stayed in play.
“I thought the ball was 40 rows deep,” Swisher said. “This place is like a cemetery.”
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Girardi showed Burnett a text on the manager’s phone Thursday.
“It said, ‘You guys are doing well, but A.J. needs a haircut,’ ” Burnett said yesterday after getting his hair trimmed.
Burnett was not sure who texted Girardi, but he complied with the order that likely came from a Steinbrenner family member.
“I needed it,” said Burnett, whose hair was touching the shirt collar in the back. “Those are the rules, and I do abide by them.”
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Swisher fouled a ball of his left instep in the second inning, but remained in the game despite a limp.
“It’s sore, but I will be in there [today],” said Swisher, who went 1-for-5 hitting leadoff.
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The target date for infielder Eric Chavez‘s return from a fractured foot was July 5. Now, due to a back problem that surfaced a few days ago, that may not happen.
“He strained his back,” Cashman said. “I can’t tell you July 5.”
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Setup man Rafael Soriano threw 32 pitches off a mound in Tampa yesterday.
“If everything goes perfect — bullpens, batting practice and a rehab game — the first series after the All Star break,” Cashman said of the right-hander’s return from the DL and an inflamed right elbow. “But nothing ever goes perfectly, unfortunately.”
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Mark Teixeira said he is open to participating in the Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game under the right conditions.
“If I make the team I will talk to [MLB] about it,” said Teixeira, whose 25 homers are tied for the major league lead with Jose Bautista.