Hours after listing Derek Jeter as his designated hitter for Tuesday’s game against the Red Sox, Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he won’t deviate from the plan in order to help his superstar reach 3,000 hits as home.
But... that’s like... right after he listed Jeter as a DH...
The Yankees play their next 10 games at home and Jeter is 14 hits away from 3,000, so he could well get there if he heats up just a little bit. However, he’s likely going to have to be put on pace to play in all 10 of them, and that’s exactly what Girardi is thinking with the decision to let him DH tonight.
It is Jeter’s fifth start at DH this season. He went 4-for-19 with one RBI and no runs scored in the first four. Overall, he’s batting .260/.327/.325 while getting 100 percent of his at-bats from the first or second spot in the order. That’s certainly not something that’s going to change until after he reaches 3,000.
“You would love for him to do it here,” Girardi said. “We have 10 games on this homestand -- 14 hits he needs. I would love for him to do it here, but you can’t physically wear him down or risk hurting him to do that. We are going to have to be smart about how we do this and we are going to probably play it the way we have all year long.”
Which basically means letting Jeter have his way and hoping that it doesn’t hurt the team in the process.
