Jeter Strains Calf

Added on Jun 14, 2011 by Scott in

MLB

Derek Jeter’s pursuit of 3000 hits took a wrong turn last night when he left the game in the 5th inning with an injury to his right calf. It was later diagnosed as a Grade 1 strain, which is of the mild variety. It’s not clear how much time he’ll miss, if any, but a couple days of rest will likely be prescribed in order to prevent the strain from becoming worse. A decision should be made later today.

Manager Joe Girardi sounded cautiously optimistic about the Yankees captain.

“When he walked off the field you could tell he was done,” Girardi said. “Obviously, we’re worried about him. We’ll just keep our fingers crossed and hope it’s not too serious.”

Jeter got a hit before exiting Monday night’s loss to the Indians, which brings his career total six shy of 3000 at 2994. The hope is he can achieve the milestone in Yankees Stadium. They begin a three-game series with AL West-leading Texas tonight, then travel to Chicago for a weekend set with the Cubs.

The 36-year-old shortstop is currently hitting well below his career average of .312. In 62 games, he is batting .260 with two home runs and 20 RBI. Only 12 of his 68 hits have been for extra bases.

He becomes the latest Yankee to suffer an ailment. The team’s disabled list is getting more crowded by the day. Pitchers Bartolo Colon and Joba Chamberlain were the most recent players to be shelved. Jeter’s last appearance on the DL came in 2003 with a dislocated shoulder.

Amazingly, in the storied history of the Yankees franchise, Jeter will be the first player to smash all 3000 hits while wearing the pinstripes. Dave Winfield and Ricky Henderson are both in the 3000-hit club, but neither spent more than eight seasons in New York.

The Yankees are 36-28, 2.5 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East.

Source: ESPN.com