Matsui’s Sore Knee

From the Yankees’ website:

NEW YORK — Hideki Matsui was out of the Yankees’ lineup Wednesday night against the Padres because of soreness in his left knee.

Matsui said there is some inflammation, but he couldn’t point to a specific instance when the pain started.

“I think it was just something that probably built up starting from about yesterday,” he said through an interpreter.

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Matsui will meet with Dr. Stuart Hershon on Wednesday to look at the swelling and drain some fluid from the knee.

This “injury” isn’t thought to be serious and Matsui’s knee could just be sore from playing in the OF during the Houston series. Girardi has stated that Matsui will be available to pinch hit in today’s game, so that’s somewhat of an indication that Matsui’s not hurting as much as he was last year.

Yanks Sign… Sidney Ponson

PA just announced it on his blog. No worries, this guy WILL NOT be Wang’s replacement (at least I don’t think so). Ponson was miserable for the Yanks in 2006 (10.47 ERA) but he pitched well with the Rangers this year before being released due to a variety of off-field issues (drugs, food, who knows). Jeff Daniels (Texas GM) criticized Ponson and basically said that Ponson was only interested in himself and didn’t care to be a part of the team.

Why the Yanks wanted to sign him, I’m not sure. His numbers were OK, so I guess they figured that’s all that matters at this point in time as long as they add some pitching depth (I’m even surprised the Rangers let him go, it’s not like they have a surplus of starters).

What’s Wrong With Jeter?

Jeff Passan has an article out about the MLB’s underpaid and overpaid stars (it’s a yearly feature). Guess who was included in the overpaid list (other than Carl Pavano)?

SS: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees, $21.6 million – He’s on pace for the worst year of his career by a long shot offensively, his defense is subpar even by his standards and he’s the third-highest-paid player in baseball. No amount of leadership can make that worth more than $20 million.

I won’t discuss Jeter’s defense because we all know about that flaw in his game (this year he’s had some trouble throwing to first base though, which is strange). But, Jeter (stats) is having a pretty poor year in terms of offensive output. In fact, his current line (.272/.326/.375) has him on pace to have the worst year he’s ever had (outside of his sporadic play in 1995). On top of that, he’s also grounded into 8 double plays (the most on the team). Is Derek Jeter, at the age of 34, finally wrapping up the last few years of his career? Will he hit this poorly all year long?

Well, I doubt it and sometimes, the overall numbers do lie. At the beginning of the year, Jeter was hitting .273/.303/.351. That’s not good, but it’s manageable for the first few months (April/March). Then (May) Jeter experienced some injury issues and hit .262/.336/.379 in May. The hamstring problem was hindering Jeter’s play, but he still came through with some decent figures. This month, Jeter is actually in the middle of a 6-game hitting streak and is hitting closer to his career norms with a .281/.343/.406 clip (although he’s still fairly far off). So, he sort of had a slow start (especially with his OBP and SLG) and was bothered by some leg problems, yet has increased his output (generally) with every month.

Jeter is a better hitter in the second half and with the offense clicking, I wouldn’t worry too much about his numbers. All he needs is a big week and he could be back to where he normally is. I could see him putting up a line that’s similar to his 2002 season, except with less homers and not as many SB’s.

New Stadium to Feature Hard Rock Cafe

The Yankees have posted up a press release about the partnership. The HR Cafe will be open all year round and should be a nice treat for fans. It’s kind of weird to have a big “theme” restaurant at a baseball stadium, but I guess this is what the Yanks have to do in order to recoup on their spending. Although, it would be kind of cool if the stadium actually created dining areas and concession stands that are truly unique to the stadium itself. For instance, Safeco Field has the Hit It Here Cafe and Ichi Rolls (sushi). Granted, the Ichi Rolls are somewhat cheesy, but small things like that give your stadium added individuality and personality (I’m not bashing the partnership, it’s just a thought).

Wang’s Return: Is September Realistic?

Will Carroll spoke to a “foot injury expert” for PA’s LoHud Blog and the expert had the following to say about Wang’s injury.

“It is unusual to have both a Lisfranc ligament sprain and partial tear peroneal longus together, and longer time will be needed for recovery (8-12 weeks if no significant instability occurs at the Lisfranc joints). The combined injuries represent greater rotational stress than would be experienced for each injury alone. Prognosis and time line for recovery will depend on the exact amount of ligament/tendon tear sustained and on the amount of tissue remaining to provide stability. Healing is the formation of scar tissue and not regrowth of the normal ligament or tendon tissue; consequently, future problems such as arthritis can occur at Lisfranc’s joints or reinjury of the peroneal longus tendon.”

Yesterday, I wrote that the Yanks were expecting Wang to be back by early September. Obviously, after reading this evaluation, one would have to assume that the Yanks were simply being tremendously optimistic for the fans and for Wang himself. Wang is probably done for the year, and I would be fine with that because these things happen and the Yankees can handle this. However, again, I’m very worried about Wang’s future with the team and I hope that he can have a full recovery without any lingering effects. Remember, Wang wasn’t given a long-term deal in the offseason, and this really hurts his chances of acquiring one in the future.

Joba Our Ace?

From the Daily News:

When asked Tuesday if he is feeling pressure to emerge as the Yankees’ ace, Chamberlain quickly replied, “No,” while implying that the rotation needs to lean on its veterans, with everyone trying to pick up the slack.

“Chien-Ming has been a huge, huge part of it and he’s been a huge part of getting wins,” said Chamberlain, who was at Modell’s in Times Square to help promote the “Heroes Made Legends Remembered” T-shirt, sales of which will benefit FDNY and NYPD charities.

“He’s been the winningest pitcher in the last two years with 38,” Chamberlain said of Wang, who suffered a partially torn tendon and a sprained ligament in his right foot Sunday while running the bases against Houston. “That’s going to be a big loss to try to pick up those wins, but we’ve got a lot of veteran guys and a lot of guys that are hungry to continue to eat innings and get after it. It’s going to be a challenge, but we’ve got great guys to do it.”

To be perfectly honest, whoever asked Joba that ace-related question, whether it was this reporter (Mark Lelinwalla) or another, should have seriously thought about who they were talking to. Go ask that question to Andy Pettitte who pitched a gem yesterday. Go ask that question to Mike Mussina, who is leading the AL in wins (he’s tied with a few others). Go ask a veteran, don’t go ask that question to a kid who hasn’t ever pitched a full season as a starter (in the majors) and has barely even transitioned into that role.

Every single Yankee (from the hitters to the pitchers) is going to feel some pressure to step it up with Wang gone, including Joba, but to ask a guy who just became a full-time starter whether or not he’s feeling pressure to become the new Yankee ace is kind of crazy (it really is). Of course, Joba handled that question like a true pro.