 | Jorge's Choice - 07/24/2008
BY Aaron Gleeman Placed on the disabled list earlier this week, Jorge Posada was told Wednesday that he'll need surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder if he wants to catch again. However, instead of immediately going under the knife with an eye toward returning at something resembling full strength next season, Posada is planning to take a couple weeks off before attempting to play through the injury as either a designated hitter or first baseman.
At 36 years old it's tough to blame Posada for not wanting to give up on a season, but he'll lose a significant chunk of his value to the Yankees the moment he ceases being an option behind the plate. A .277/.380/.477 career line makes Posada about 20 percent more productive than the average MLB catcher, but would put him just six percent above average at first base. That's a big difference, although for fantasy pu! rposes he'll maintain catcher eligibility for at least next season.
Beyond that, there's no guarantee that Posada will post his usual .850 OPS while playing through the injury. He hit just .248/.380/.371 with two homers in 33 games between DL stints and a torn labrum doesn't heal itself. If he puts off surgery now, struggles to remain productive regardless of position, and then ultimately decides to go under the knife later, he'd likely miss part of next year as well. Look for the Yankees to add a veteran catcher (Gregg Zaun?) to pair with Jose Molina.
While the Yankees test exactly how many designated hitters one roster can hold, here are some other notes from around baseball .
* If CC Sabathia keeps this up, it's going to be a! wfully t ough for the Brewers to let him walk as a free agent. Sabathia tossed a complete-game shutout Wednesday over the Cardinals, going the distance for the third time in four starts with the Brewers. He's 4-0 with a 1.36 ERA since coming over from Cleveland, which makes him 10-5 with a 1.97 ERA and 140-to-28 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 128.1 innings spread over 18 starts since beginning the season with four rough outings.
* Sabathia handed them a third straight loss Wednesday, but the Cardinals did get some good news on the injury front. After throwing four scoreless innings in his first minor-league rehab start Sunday at Double-A, Chris Carpenter had a successful bullpen session Tuesday and is on track to make his second rehab appearance Friday at Triple-A. Carpenter is exactly one year removed from Tommy John elbow surgery, and barring a setback looks capable of returning n! ext month.
Meanwhile, Adam Wainwright also threw a bullpen session Tuesday and said afterward that he "optimistically" hopes to return within three weeks. He's been sidelined since June 7 with a ruptured pulley in his right middle finger and no timetable has been established for a rehab stint, so three weeks may be a best-case scenario. Still, if the Cardinals can remain within striking distance for a playoff spot, getting Carpenter and Wainwright back next month could be huge.
* Not even his agent filing a grievance against the Twins on his behalf earlier this week can slow Francisco Liriano down. Stuck at Triple-A because the Twins refuse to dump Livan Hernandez and his 5.29 ! ERA from the rotation, Liriano tossed seven shutout innings Tu! esday wh ile racking up 10 strikeouts and allowing just two hits. He's now 9-0 with a 2.37 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 81-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 64.2 innings spread over his last 10 starts.
Liriano has allowed just one earned run over his last 35 innings, totaling 42 strikeouts versus five walks during that span. While his agent's claim that the Twins are keeping Liriano at Triple-A to suppress his service time falls apart once the details are examined, there's plenty of reason to question why he's still being allowed to overpower minor leaguers when the Twins are in the thick of a pennant race. Much of his velocity has returned and the results are outstanding. It's time.
* An MRI exam on Erik Bedard's injured shoulder confirmed the original diagnosis of an internal impi! ngement, which is basically a fancy way of saying "soreness." That qualifies as good news because it rules out major structural damage, but he's yet to begin throwing and is probably out of time to show that he's healthy with a start before the July 31 trading deadline. Bedard is under the Mariners' control through next season, but seems like a long shot to be in Seattle come April.
AL Quick Hits: Carlos Quentin took over the AL lead with a pair of homers Wednesday and ranks second to only Josh Hamilton with 76 RBIs . David Ortiz (wrist) played his final minor-league rehab game Wednesday and remains on track to come off the disabled list Friday . J.J. Pu! tz t otaled three strikeouts in two scoreless innings Wednesday, but likely didn't gain any ground on reclaiming the closer job thanks to Brandon Morrow tossing two shutout frames . Mike Mussina tossed eight shutout innings Wednesday, picking up his 13th win and improving to 22-6 lifetime versus the Twins . Jeff Mathis went 4-for-5 while driving in six runs Wednesday, smacking his first career grand slam . Justin Masterson made his first career relief appearance Wednesday, retiring all eight batterss he faced after entering a tie game with two runners on base . Multiple reports suggest that the Yankees are inte! rested in Jarrod Washburn and may be willing to take Jose Vidro off the Mariners' hands to make a deal work . In the lineup against a left-hander Wednesday, Casey Kotchan had a career-high five hits . Manny Ramirez was scratched from Wednesday's game with right knee soreness.
NL Quick Hits: Roy Oswalt (hip) threw a bullpen session Wednesday and is on track to come off the disabled list Monday against the Reds . Atlanta saw Tim Hudson (elbow) and Chipper Jones (hamst! ring) ex it Wednesday's game with injuries, but both players said afterward that they expect to avoid the DL . Ryan Braun went 4-for-5 with a homer Wednesday and is now hitting .302 with 22 homers in 72 games since a poor April . As expected, Alfonso Soriano (hand) came off the shelf Wednesday and resumed leading off, dropping Kosuke Fukudome in the lineup . One day after the Mets' bullpen imploded without him and cost Johan Santana a victory, Billy Wagner (shoulder) tossed a perfect ninth inning Wednesday for his 25th save . Amid various trade rumors, Jason Bay matched last season's total with his 21st homer Wednesday . Gregor Blanco came into Wednesday's game with a modest .670 OPS, but went 4-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs . Jose Reyes smacked what proved to be the game-winning three-run homer Wednesday, giving him a .312 batting average, nine homers, 27 steals, and 59 runs in 75 games since May 1. | | This e-mail is being sent at your request. To stop receiving these e-mails, click here. | |
