Jorge Posada was the Yankees’ designated hitter last night. The question now is: Should it be a permanent move?
Posada came off the disabled list after missing 15 games with a broken bone in his right foot.
He is unable to catch still, so he will be the team’s DH for the short-term.
With Francisco Cervelli hitting .302, some believe Posada should be the everyday DH and Cervelli the everyday catcher. Posada is not among them.
“I’m not a DH yet,” Posada said.
The 38-year-old has came under fire last year for his catching, and even sat out playoff games when A.J. Burnett pitched.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi danced around the issue yesterday, answering a number of questions about what Posada’s role will be going forward.
“This is a day-to-day thing,” Girardi said. “You’re asking me to make decisions based on possibly July and August. I’m just not going to do that. But I would like [Posada] to catch again. I want him to catch again.”
Posada went 1-for-3 in his return with a walk and a run scored in the Yankees’ victory.
His foot looked fine as he scored from first on Curtis Granderson’s double in the second inning.
Cervelli has played a lot this year as Posada has dealt with nagging injuries in his calf and his knee before suffering the broken foot on May 16.
The 24-year-old has played well, but does not possess the same kind of power Posada does.
Their numbers with the pitching staff are similar. Entering last night’s game, Yankees starters had a 3.60 ERA pitching to Cervelli, and a 3.94 ERA pitching to Posada.
With Nick Johnson out for a long period after wrist surgery, there is a hole at DH that Posada could fill.
But that would cause the Yankees to carry three catchers, giving a bench spot to Chad Moeller.
Girardi has repeatedly said he likes to rotate the DH spot, using it as a way to rest veterans, such as Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez.
Plus, it is clear Posada would not be happy to have the catching gear taken from him.
“I’m not a DH yet, mentally I’m not,” Posada said. “It’s not an easy thing to do. I think you are going to see me behind the plate soon so I don’t see myself as a DH.”
Posada’s contract expires after next season.
He knows there may be a time when the Yankees want to move him out from behind the plate, and DH is the logical landing spot. He said he thought about it before signing his current contract before the 2008 season.
“You’re talking about guys that catch every day, you don’t see too many 38-year-olds catching every day,” Posada said. “So I understand what’s going on. We’ll see from now on what’s going to happen.
“I knew there was going to be a time when you are not an every-day catcher, that’s fine. If I’m able to help out the team as a DH, obviously I would like to do that.”
Posada came off the disabled list after missing 15 games with a broken bone in his right foot.
He is unable to catch still, so he will be the team’s DH for the short-term.
With Francisco Cervelli hitting .302, some believe Posada should be the everyday DH and Cervelli the everyday catcher. Posada is not among them.
“I’m not a DH yet,” Posada said.
The 38-year-old has came under fire last year for his catching, and even sat out playoff games when A.J. Burnett pitched.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi danced around the issue yesterday, answering a number of questions about what Posada’s role will be going forward.
“This is a day-to-day thing,” Girardi said. “You’re asking me to make decisions based on possibly July and August. I’m just not going to do that. But I would like [Posada] to catch again. I want him to catch again.”
Posada went 1-for-3 in his return with a walk and a run scored in the Yankees’ victory.
His foot looked fine as he scored from first on Curtis Granderson’s double in the second inning.
Cervelli has played a lot this year as Posada has dealt with nagging injuries in his calf and his knee before suffering the broken foot on May 16.
The 24-year-old has played well, but does not possess the same kind of power Posada does.
Their numbers with the pitching staff are similar. Entering last night’s game, Yankees starters had a 3.60 ERA pitching to Cervelli, and a 3.94 ERA pitching to Posada.
With Nick Johnson out for a long period after wrist surgery, there is a hole at DH that Posada could fill.
But that would cause the Yankees to carry three catchers, giving a bench spot to Chad Moeller.
Girardi has repeatedly said he likes to rotate the DH spot, using it as a way to rest veterans, such as Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez.
Plus, it is clear Posada would not be happy to have the catching gear taken from him.
“I’m not a DH yet, mentally I’m not,” Posada said. “It’s not an easy thing to do. I think you are going to see me behind the plate soon so I don’t see myself as a DH.”
Posada’s contract expires after next season.
He knows there may be a time when the Yankees want to move him out from behind the plate, and DH is the logical landing spot. He said he thought about it before signing his current contract before the 2008 season.
“You’re talking about guys that catch every day, you don’t see too many 38-year-olds catching every day,” Posada said. “So I understand what’s going on. We’ll see from now on what’s going to happen.
“I knew there was going to be a time when you are not an every-day catcher, that’s fine. If I’m able to help out the team as a DH, obviously I would like to do that.”
