Via tweet from SI’s Jon Heyman, we learn this morning that Derek Jeter’s calf strain, though diagnosed as “Grade 1”, the mildest form, still may put him on the disabled list. Why?
#yankees giving strong consideration to dl-ing jeter. Team concerned about being short in nl parks
Without being able to use the DH in Chicago’s Wrigley Field and in Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, the Yankees are apparently worried that they wouldn’t have a deep enough bench, with having to pinch-hit for pitchers, if Jeter were active and unable to play on certain days.
There’s no official word on this, of course. If Jeter does hit the disabled list, he would not be eligible to return until June 29. On that day, the Yankees will be playing the second of a three-game home series against the Milwaukee Brewers, before taking off on a six-game road trip. The first three games of that “trip”, though, will be at Citi Field in New York against the Mets, so many Yankee fans could see those games.
There are many factors to consider as Jeter gets close to 3000 career hits. The upcoming schedule, clearly, is one of them.