"A New York Treasure" --Village Voice

Speed Kills

Brett Gardner is set to return to the Yankees as a pinch-runner. Daniel Barbarisi has the story in the Wall Street Journal:

It has been eight weeks since the surgery, and Gardner says he feels normal. But he only swung a bat for the first time Tuesday, and is nowhere near being ready to hit, which the .265 career hitter said isn’t such a big deal.

“Obviously I have to be able to swing a bat,” Gardner said. “Somebody joked with me, I think it was one of my buddies down in Tampa. They said, ‘What can you not do?’ I said I can’t hit. They said ‘What’s changed?'”

So for now, he’ll try to salvage his season with his best tools: his legs, and his glove, filling a September role usually reserved for minor leaguers with great legs and weak bats. Instead, manager Joe Girardi will have a veteran to deploy.

“He can play defense if we needed him to play some defense,” Girardi said. “He’s not going to be able to hit, but you have enough guys on your bench that if his spot came up in a crazy game, you could do something.”

[Photo Credit: Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images]

Categories:  1: Featured  Baseball Musings  Yankees

Share: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via email %PRINT_TEXT

3 comments

1 boston yank   ~  Sep 19, 2012 9:47 am

anyone know if game 1 will be broadcast out of market (extra innings or some other channel)? I'll be bummed if I miss Pettitte's return.

2 Jon DeRosa   ~  Sep 19, 2012 9:55 am

Another chance to Girardi to pinch run for Arod.

3 RIYank   ~  Sep 19, 2012 10:50 am

[2] He might be less tempted against the Blue Jays. The sight of Joe Maddon in the opposing dugout is just too much for Girardi: he has to make moves.

I wonder if Brett can bunt.

feed Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via email
"This ain't football. We do this every day."
--Earl Weaver