Outfielder will have his wrist examined on Thursday
NEW YORK -- Hideki Matsui hopes the news is good when doctors examine his surgically repaired left wrist on Thursday. The big question is when and if Matsui can start swinging a bat again. The answer will go a long way in determining when the left fielder can return to the lineup he's been missing from for almost three months.
"Everything else is, in a sense, game ready, it's just my left wrist," Matsui said through an interpreter.
Matsui stretched with the Yankees on Wednesday in his first pregame workout with the team since May 11, when he fractured his left wrist sliding to make a catch at Yankee Stadium against Boston.
But even a positive report from doctors won't get him back in pinstripes immediately.
"I'll be back in Tampa," Matsui said. "I'm not going to jump right into [batting practice]. It will be a progressive thing."
Matsui expects to work off a tee and then take soft toss before hitting in batting practice. Thus far, Matsui has only been doing tee work and swinging with a short bat, which only works out his front hand.
Then there are rehab games in the Minor Leagues.
"He really needs to play some games," manager Joe Torre said. "He's not going to go down there and play one or two games. He's been missing all season."
Matsui, however, is still shooting for a return this month.
"It certainly depends on how my wrist feels," Matsui said. "But at this point, it could be a possibility."
Giambi Still Cramped
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It wasn't a big surprise, but Jason Giambi was out of the lineup on Wednesday with some residual effects of the leg cramps that forced him out of Tuesday's game after the fifth inning.
Torre wants Giambi in as the designated hitter for Thursday's day game and figured it was good idea to give Giambi the day off, especially with the temperature in the mid-90s again and left-hander Ted Lilly pitching for the Blue Jays.
"It's a little tight from being cramped yesterday," Giambi said through a team spokesman. "The plan is for me to be back out there tomorrow. It's feeling better, but it's still lingering from the cramp."
To give the players some relief from the heat, Torre shortened batting practice on Wednesday and will probably eliminate it altogether for Thursday's day game.
New Yankee Craig Wilson started at first base on Wednesday with Bernie Williams as the designated hitter.
Pavano Makes Good Progress
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Carl Pavano, who hasn't pitched for the Yankees this season after the removal of bone chips from his right elbow, threw 45 pitches before Wednesday's game.
Pavano threw one session of 25 pitches and then 20 more pitches consisting of mostly sliders and splitters.
"We'll wait until tomorrow and see how he feels. If he feels good enough, we'll do this [again] in a couple of days," Torre said. "We're on our way. This is a very positive outing, and we came up with a positive result."
If Pavano continues making progress and doesn't backtrack, Torre said the right-hander could make a Minor League rehab start by the end of the month.
In other injury news, second baseman Robinson Cano (strained left hamstring) is expected to play a rehab game for Double-A Trenton on Thursday, and if all goes well he could rejoin the Yankees next week in Chicago.
Farnsworth Scoreless
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Right-handed reliever Kyle Farnsworth came into Wednesday's game with six straight appearances without giving up an earned run. He's also struck out 10 in his last four outings, a span of just four innings.
"He's constantly working at his trade," Torre said. "Like [Scott] Proctor, they seem to have a plan out there and they're thinking with it as opposed to going away from what makes them successful. He's got a great slider, but he's got an incredible fastball."
Farnsworth has continually been clocked in the high 90s and comes in at 100 or 101 mph from time to time.
Jeter In The Running For The Hank Aaron Award
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Captain putting together one of his finest seasons in the Bronx
NEW YORK -- Asked just before the All-Star break who his team's first-half MVP would be, Yankees manager Joe Torre would seem to have a multitude of candidates. But he didn't hesitate.
Derek Jeter was his answer.
Now the Yankees' captain could win more than a hypothetical honor as Jeter is a candidate for this year's American League Hank Aaron Award.
Since 1999, the 25th anniversary of Aaron breaking Babe Ruth's all-time home run record, Major League Baseball has recognized the best offensive performer from each league with the Hank Aaron Award presented by CENTURY 21.
Past recipients include Barry Bonds (three times), Alex Rodriguez (three times), Manny Ramirez (twice), Albert Pujols, Todd Helton, Sammy Sosa and Carlos Delgado. Last year's winners, selected during balloting during the regular season's final month on MLB.com, were Boston's David Ortiz and Atlanta's Andruw Jones.
"It's nice any time you can have your name mentioned with Hank Aaron," Jeter said.
Jeter is having one of his finest offensive seasons in his 11th year. He was hitting .352 with seven homers and 63 RBIs as the week began. Jeter had the second-highest batting average in the Majors, only behind Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer. His .456 on-base percentage was fourth-highest in the AL.
"Even when you're not feeling good, your job is to try to find a way to get on base," said Jeter, who has missed only five games so far this season.
"That's what separates good years from average years. When things are going bad, you can't buy a hit. But when things are going good, you may get a bounce here or a bloop there."
Jeter has gotten much more than bounces or bloops. Still, he is on pace to hit a career season-low in home runs in a full season since 1997, his second year as a starter. Jeter hit just 10 homers in 2003 but played in only 119 games.
Hank Aaron Awards 2006
* AMERICAN LEAGUE * Angels: Guerrero * A's: Swisher * Blue Jays: Wells * Devil Rays: Crawford * Indians: Hafner * Mariners: Suzuki * Orioles: Tejada * Rangers: Young * Red Sox: Ortiz * Royals: DeJesus * Tigers: M. Ordonez * Twins: Morneau * White Sox: Konerko * Yankees: Jeter
* NATIONAL LEAGUE * Astros: Berkman * Braves: Jones * Brewers: Hall * Cardinals: Pujols * Cubs: Barrett * Diamondbacks: Tracy * Dodgers: Garciaparra * Giants: Feliz * Marlins: Cabrera * Mets: Wright * Nationals: Soriano * Padres: Gonzalez * Phillies: Howard * Pirates: Bay * Reds: Dunn * Rockies: Holliday
But Torre feels what enables Jeter to have such a high batting average may hinder his ability to club the ball out of the park -- hitting to the opposite field.
"Hitting to the opposite field, you're not going to get fooled very often because you're not looking to pull the ball," Torre said. "He hasn't hit as many home runs as he has in the past, but that doesn't mean he's not knocking in as many runs -- or more."
Jeter is on pace for a career high in RBIs. He had 70 last year and has only once notched more than 100. But projections are merely that, and as Jeter said, there's many more games to be played.
"We've got two months left -- the two most important months," Jeter said. "It's hard to comment on my year until it's over with. But I try to stay consistent day in and day out."
And that consistency was exactly Torre's reasoning for voting for Jeter as first-half Yankees MVP.
