So let's recap, shall we?
When the season began, the Yankees were missing their starting shortstop, their starting third baseman, their starting first baseman, their starting centerfielder and one of their starting pitchers (Andy Pettitte started late). But we were told not to worry--the replacements were a scrappy bunch who would show us that their best days were not behind them.
That was indeed true for a while. Players like Vernon Wells and Lyle Overbay seemed rejuvenated by the atmosphere in the Bronx, and the Yankees had a share--at least--of first place until Memorial Day.
Then they met... the Mets?
Four games against one of the sorriest teams in the National League, two of them in the home ballpark, all of them without any traveling. Sleeping each night in their own beds. And the Yankees are a terrific interleague team--the best record against Other Leaguers in the sport. Things looked good.
But. Overbay, Wells, Ichiro Suzuki and Travis Hafner started coming back to earth. (To be fair, Suzuki wasn't all the far off it, and has been streaky).
And some crazy shit started to happen. Curtis Granderson, who had been hit on the arm in his FIRST SPRING TRAINING AT-BAT came back, fully healed and ready to start contributing some of those 40-something home runs he hits every year. And a week into his season, he was hit AGAIN, in the hand, and back to the disabled list he went.
But not to worry--Mark Teixeira and (replacement) Kevin Youkilis ("you're gonna LOVE Youk" we were told repeatedly) were coming back from the DL to save the day. And for a few days, Tex at least tried to live up to the hype. He didn't get many hits, but the ones he got tended to land in the stands. That was good.
Except that Youk was out every couple of days with another back issue. And Tex, well, people (let's say the hitting coach, although he seems to be in trouble for saying so) saw problems in his swing that indicated that healing wrist wasn't healing all so much, and waddaya know, last weekend, he took himself out of the game and headed back to the DL today.
And Youk? Herniated disc in the back. A minimum--MINIMUM--of 10-12 weeks on the DL. That means the best case scenario brings him back in early September. Don't hold your breath on that, either. You'll likely never see him in a Yankee uniform again.
Maybe we won't love Youk all that much after all. Not his fault, of course, but holy mackerel! In addition to the losses in the first paragraph, of which only one has been alleviated (Pettitte came back), the "starting" catcher Francisco Cervelli, the official backup shortstop and for all I know Ichiro Suzuki's magic bat wrangler have all been absentees.
Captain Clutch has no timetable yet, but is reportedly moving from side to side on a limited basis (which some would say he's been doing for years, but I am not one of them). Mr. Rod is progressing nicely physically, we're told, and could be back "after the All-Star break," which is anytime between July 19 and Infinity. Except that Major League Baseball could very likely suspend him for 100 games for playing in the medicine chest again.
Tex? Probably not that long before he's back, unless he needs surgery, in which case it's 2014. Granderson? If I'm the Yankees, I'm having him come to bat in a full set of armor from now on, and he's only having the pin in his hand removed this week. Not exactly quick back.
Cervelli could be back soon, but frankly, Chris Stewart has been doing pretty much what you'd expect out of Cervelli in his absence, and that's not a ton, but it's okay.
The biggest boost we can hope for right now is from the absent Yankee, Michael Pineda, who from all accounts is soon to come and pitch his first game for the team. And let's face it--starting pitching might be the only area in which the Yankees DON'T desperately need help.
Personally, I blame the Mets.
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