Jorge Posada and Marcus Thames Join Yankees’ Injury List
May 20, 2010 · Bronx Baseball Daily · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
While running down a list of injuries the Yankees sustained yesterday, I noted how Jorge Posada ’s foot injury had been lingering and not improving the way they thought it would.
He made such little improvement that the Yankees sent him to get an MRI to make sure everything was OK.
As it turns out, Posada has a hairline fracture in his right foot that is expected to keep him out three to four weeks. That will land him on the DL for the time being, and the Yankees need to figure out what to do to replace him.
More than likely that means they will call up veteran catcher Chad Moeller from Triple-A Scranton. Moeller is not on the 40-man roster, and he really isn’t reliable enough to start games, as his offense is so bad it would only exacerbate the offensive problems the Bombers have been experiencing lately.
Because of this, the Yankees will, at least internally, consider calling up one of their top catching prospects, Jesus Montero or Austin Romine .
If the Yankees called one of them up, it would most likely be as a starter, as they wouldn’t want to hurt either player’s development by forcing him to ride the bench for the next three to four weeks.
The problem is that neither is really ready to spend a month as a major league starting catcher. Montero is the least ready of the two defensively, and there are real questions as to whether or not Romine, who is still in Double-A, can handle the load offensively.
In the end, the decision will probably be to call up Moeller.
Marcus Thames also sprained his left ankle yesterday when he stepped on his own bat running down to first base. He had X-rays taken after the game that came back negative, so a DL stint is unlikely, but he is not likely to be available today and possibly not this weekend either.
Ramiro Pena came in to play right field after Thames left the game. That move just goes to show that the Yankees need to adjust their roster, as Pena had only ever played one game in his entire minor league career in right field.
Posada will go to the DL, which clears space for a catcher, but the Yankees are probably going to have to make at least one other roster move to prepare for this weekend. That will probably mean a pitcher is going down to make room for outfielder Greg Golson to get called up. Outfielder Chad Huffman and infielder Kevin Russo are two other options on the 40-man roster.
I think that if Thames or Nick Swisher are not going to be available this weekend, one or both of them should be put on the DL. Having so many players on the bench that are unavailable to play almost hurt the Yankees last night and could be an issue every night until the Yankees get some players back from injuries.
Related Stories
Read more New York Yankees news on BleacherReport.com
Yankee Tickets
Shop Yankee
