Posada’s Finger Injury Could Stall Yankees

“I don’t think some people understand how much that guy cares about being a good catcher,” Burnett said. “It’s not all about offense. He works hard to be a really good catcher.”
could be worse, we could have Varitek
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Please don’t take this the wrong way, but Jorge bruised finger might help point the Yankees to the division title. Sure we will miss his bat, but as it stands, thats like Carter missing pills. The Yanks have a very solid lineup. We all know that defense wins championships. And the first step is that devision title. And the fact that Cervelli is on the way back, I feel that’s the defense the Yankees need at this time secure that first step. (The path from first to second seems a bit to easy at times.)
-Anthony
Haha, Scott. The Yanks lead all of MLB with the most runs, homers,Cheap Chicago White Sox Hats, on-base percentage, and slugging, and are second only to the Anaheim Angels in batting average. I hope people like you skip voting in elections.
He is valuable to this offense and with him out we will have hole to replace on this team.
Solution let him take a few weeks off and let cervelli and molina split time.
— fr 24. August 28, 2009 8:41 am
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— yankeeinastrangeplace 10. August 27, 2009 11:12 am
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I’d love to give George rest. A LOT of rest. I think that if the Yankees don’t re-sign Matsui, that Posada should split his time between DH and catcher. His bat is still valuable, but his play behind the dish isn’t. Maybe in a typical 6-game week have him DH 4 and catch 2. This will allow him to stay fresh as a backup catcher while still batting daily. That will actually allow the Yanks to carry 3 catchers (maybe re-sign Molina and have Cervelli) or clear one more spot for a utility guy. However, Jorge has one of the bigger egos on the club, so I am not sure how he’d handle this. He’s a great guy, but he’s very proud, especially proud of being a catcher.
Look Posada might be old school but he is crucial to this team and its sucess.
Stating Posada is indispensable is an overstatement. Defensively he simply has become below average for MLB. Also, I’m intrigued by the number of Yankee pitchers who have complained they have difficulty working with him (Randy Johnson, Joba, Burnett, for example). Are we not getting the full story on Posada? And weren’t they a very effective team with Cervelli?
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— George 11. August 27, 2009 11:23 am
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“It’s not going to go away,” Posada said. “It’s going to stay there until I get some rest.”

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Jack,
You’re writing as if the Yankees will fall apart and their walk into the post season is in question without Posada behind the plate or batting. It’s no big deal. Remember, across town, the entire Met team is on the DL and they can still win a game or two with a lineup better suited for AAA. There’s a month left in the season and Jorge will be okay to play. If Derek, Tex, A-Rod, Mo and CC go on the DL, then you’d have something to worry about.
Nothing to get all hysterical about. The Yankees have a decent lead and an survive with Molina at catcher for a while. Just let Posada get his rest.
But Posada said a week off would not make a difference. When he said he needed rest for the finger to heal, he meant that he needed extended rest for the swelling to subside and for the finger to be pain free.
So the sight of Posada leaving Wednesday’s game in the eighth inning was jarring for the Yankees. Posada’s left ring finger had been struck with a foul ball, aggravating an injury that first happened about two weeks ago. Now the Yankees have to wonder how much of an impact his fragile finger can have on them as they power toward the postseason.
I have a new baseball novel called 33 Summers, about a baseball player that has a ton of talent but starts using drugs and alcohol. Please check it out at:
bob (#12): Are you serious? No one here is saying that Posada is a bad hitter. He’s a good hitter, to be sure. However, no one has ever said that he is a good catcher. At his best,Hitting Fungoes, he was MAYBE league average of a catcher, and he’s fallen off from that mark. His game-calling isn’t exactly the best (see: games he catches for AJ and Joba) and his arm just isn’t that accurate any more (on throws to 2nd, especially).
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— JR 6. August 27, 2009 9:37 am
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— jsb 3. August 27, 2009 8:35 am
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Really, Scott? The worst in the majors? Oddly enough, they have the best record in the majors. Funny how that works.
It may not be time for Posada to depart but the day isn’t far away. When it arrives the Yankees will be just fine. They have played better ball when Posada was sidelined this year and are sure to find a young catcher with better tools waiting in the wings.
At least Jorge Posada did not break anything. I think he will contribute. If not, Fransisco Servelli showed his great skills earlier in the season as Posada’s replacement and Jose Molina can do a good job,as a backup. The Yankees have enough offense to carry them, especially Mark Texeira and Nick Swisher and Hideki Matsui and Derek Jeter, in case Posada becomes indisposed. Besides, the way the rotation is pitching (except for Joba Chamberlain) the Yankees should do OK. I think Girardi should pitch Andy Pettitte ahead of Chamberlain in the playoffs. Look how well Pettitte has performed in the second half and he gets only better in the post-season.
So much for the critics who thought Posada too old or washed up.
Go Yankees!!
If the Yankees have a comfortable enough lead in the American League East in September, they can presumably give Posada a week off. Since rosters will have expanded to 40, the Yankees will have the backups Jose Molina and Francisco Cervelli, up from Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, to handle the catching. Manager Joe Girardi hinted at that possibility.
I suspect that Giardi can platoon him with Molina for now and maybe fully rest him more fully in September when Cervilli (sp?) comes up.
— Herbie Langmeyer 15. August 27, 2009 12:14 pm
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IMHO give Posada some time off. While I understand he may not heal fully it will at least certainly help him. How is having him with an injured hand helping the team? He cannot catch properly and he cannot swing the bat properly. If this isn’t a gleaming sign to bring up Cervelli I don’t know what is. No disrespect to Posada, because God knows I love the guy, but Cervelli proved his worth earlier in the year when both Posada and Molina went down, and I believe he deserves to be up in the majors again,Cheap Gucci Sunglasses! The Yankees won with Cervelli, and I have to admit I loved his fire and hunger to play everyday and to seemingly love every minute on the field. That in itslef is invaliable, especially in a post season drive!
— Bruceski 19. August 27, 2009 4:16 pm
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— Darren Pare 22. August 27, 2009 11:23 pm
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i saw the baby yanks play in durham a couple of weeks ago, and cervelli wasn’t even on the s/wb roster! they had a big kid behind the plate who looked pretty good.
that being so, georgie was never an asset behind the dish, just @ it. time to move him to dh (along with matsui & damon & who knows who else!)
Closer Mariano Rivera is the most indispensable Yankee, but Posada is indispensable as well. A.J. Burnett, who has differed with Posada about pitch selection, said he had been impressed with Posada as a teammate.
— Jake S 9. August 27, 2009 11:06 am
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— Pete in Astoria 20. August 27, 2009 4:18 pm
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— Chris Price 7. August 27, 2009 9:48 am
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— illuminati 21. August 27, 2009 5:45 pm
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Are you people insane? I love Cervelli, but he had a .300 or so OBP when he was sent down. If you think the team is better without Posada, look at how they did last year without him in the lineup.
Oh no! Posada hurts his finger and the entire season is in jeopardy! What did the Yankees do to deserve this horrible tragedy,Monster Energy Hats!?!
The Yankees are a catching rich team. Molina can play and the minors are loaded with catching talent. Cervelli is unlikely to be the Yankee catcher of the future although he is the most prepared to step in this season.
The Yankess are not a one man team. Sure some are more valuable but they all produce at soem time when needed. Catchers are our forte. No need to worry. Pitchers are the problem. Jobe?
It’s a no-brainer that Pettite pitch in 3rd spot…Joba’s becoming a head case again because of this pitch count/erratic start business. Either make him an everyday pitcher and not baby him thru the season or make him fight for setup spot or groom him for closer after Rivera retires. There are too many options out there to mess his head up in the 2nd half of season. Pettite shows fire; Joba looks like a deer in the headlights.
If the Yankees can keep things on the plus side for another couple of weeks – they should be able to selectively rest not just Posada, but other regulars too so as to stay relatively healthy for the (hopefully) post-season.
After Andy Pettitte helped the Yankees defeat the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, 9-2, he said that the Yankees were too good “not to get this done.” He meant that the Yankees were too good not to win a World Series title. That difficult path will be easier to navigate if Posada’s finger does not get in the way.
— the BerZerker 8. August 27, 2009 10:23 am
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— scottso 17. August 27, 2009 2:15 pm
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But Jorge is a team player and will do his best to stay in the game.
— John Thailand 14. August 27, 2009 12:06 pm
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It would actually be good to have Molina get some more games under his belt to get sharp again, give Posada some time off for the first couple of weeks of September, at least from catching and bring up Cervelli next week to reacquaint him with the pitching staff. Let Posada DH, Matsui can sit and rest his knees and everyone can lighten his load just a bit. Ultimately, some extended time away from catching (at least a week or two) will freshen up Posada for the postseason.
— BW 1
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And keep things in perspective. The veterans on all the teams are probably also hurting by this point – so it’s all a bit “relative”.
— bob 13. August 27, 2009 11:37 am
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Relax, guys. You have the best record in baseball. Try being a Mets fan and watching a team composed entirely of backups (and in some cases, backups for backups).
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cervelli called up before September 1st now.
— Asterix 16. August 27, 2009 12:16 pm
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Permalink Jorge Posada, Yankees Related Posts From Bats Posada to Start in Field; Teixeira to D.H.Posada to Hit Seventh; Soriano on D.L.Jeter Explains Posada Comments to Yankees Officials No. 20 on Your Roster, No. 9 in the OrderPosada’s Mental Health Day Previous Post
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Next &raquo; 1. August 27, 2009 4:42 am
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I’ve been enjoying recent posts that ask us fans “what would you do” in game situations or questions to ask GM’s Those are fun to read and produce a lot more interaction. How about more of those as the year winds down and each game become a bit more crucial?,
wow i guess i am wrong and this guy really is a scrub! i guess i need to realign my idea of what makes a good ballplayer. will a younger person be, generally, a better catcher? sure most likely. more mobile. I really like Cervelli alot and i think he has a future as a big league catcher but Jorge is not useless piece trash capping our division lead at 6. He also, BTW was about the only yank to hit during a few of our recent post season failures (detroit and also believe cleveland).
— Dan 18. August 27, 2009 3:51 pm
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The main goal is to get him ready for the postseason?
— T of NY 12. August 27, 2009 11:30 am
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— Bruceski 25. August 28, 2009 10:41 am
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The Yankees will miss Posadas bat. It doesn’t take intelligence to swing a bat and Posada has more power than Cervelli at this point. They won’t miss Posadas record of hitting into double plays and Posada will certainly prove more strike out prone than Cervelli.
“I don’t think it’s going to heal until the season is over,” Posada said. “The joint is bruised. There’s not much I can do.”
The Yankees are arguably a better team with Francisco Cervelli. He is a smarter player than Posada (who doesn’t have a grasp of the game and is totally lost on the bases) and Cervelli seems to call a better game behind the plate.
they must have a steroid that can fix this… or just give him some human growth hormone and he can grow a new finger. go drug-addled yanks!
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— Jake S 23. August 28, 2009 8:15 am
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Scott is surely way off in his assesment of the team and its off day yesterday. BUT there are serious questions about whether this team, with or without Posada, can do more than reach the playoffs. CC and AJ are good pitchers, but we have seen that both, especially AJ, are prone to having very bad days; it’s really hard to see what we can expect from these two come October. CC’s track record there isn’t good, and AJ doesn’t have one. Neither looks to me like they can go into a whole other level and be the unbeatable starter every championship team needs to drive them through the playoffs. And the offense, as impressive as it is, gets too easily shut down by dominant pitchers, or mediocre pitchers they have never seen before. I really like this team in a lot of ways, but I just can’t see them getting through the first round of the playoffs–too many question marks.
Hopefully it doesn’t effect his hitting and he can rest as much as possible between now and the playoffs. It doesn’t seem like there is much else the Yankees can do.
I have had these type of injuries. Unlike a break which is set and heals in 4 weeks, they can take 3-5 months. But he may be able to perform with pain as long as there is no structural damage to the joint.
As for Chamberlain, the problem is not attacking the zone, which is primarily about thinking about 7 innings rather than the batter at the plate. Why not give the innings relief by having him pitch 2 inninigs, in relief of say Gaudin or Mitre on the day his start is skipped. The agressive style he can use in relief may effect his style teh sdame ay it did Phil Hughes and maybe he will carry it back to start days. Also he will be facing live batters every fifth day regardless.
— Anthony Salamone 5. August 27, 2009 9:21 am
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While I agree that the Yanks need Posada’s bat, I don’ t want him behind the plate if they face a situation like they did in the 9th inning of Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. Also, say the Yanks get a 10 game lead by the time of the Sept. call ups. Couldn’t they sit Posada until the playoffs begin? That would also allow him to rest the other parts of his creaky 37 year old body. I guess what I am saying is that it is quite a stretch to say that Posada is even as close to being as indispensable as Mariano.
We’re heading into late season. The accumulated bangs, nicks and bumps of a long season are starting to show – particularly in the older regulars like Posada.
— Rob A from BBD 2. August 27, 2009 7:08 am
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Since Posada missed only one game when he initially injured his finger, Girardi was hopeful that he would not miss much more time. X-rays were negative. Still, Girardi called Posada’s injury a concern and admitted it was “so hard to get those things completely healthy.”
Hey, Tyler – Any thoughts on why this Cano fellow — who, after three innings today has already left five men on base — has a RISP average that is about 125 points lower than his BA? And wouldn’t the offense be safer having him leadoff where at least once in the game he wouldnt’ be able to kill a rally?
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— little leaguer 4. August 27, 2009 9:09 am
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Jorge Posada is the toughest player on the Yankees. I doubt anyone on the team would argue with that assessment. He is durable, he is resilient and he wants to catch every inning of every game.