Yankees veteran shortstop Derek Jeter has had some kind of disappointing season.
He missed the team’s first 91 games of the year with an ankle injury and then suffered through a disabled list stint shortly after returning. After being taken out of a game over the weekend with ankle pain, he was again sent to the DL and general manager Brian Cashman said it will ‘effectively end his season.’
The news really couldn’t be much worse for the Yankees as their team was dealt yet another blow this year. New York is right in the hunt for the second Wild Card spot, currently sitting only two games behind the Tampa Bay Rays heading into Wednesday night’s games. While the news is bad, however, it’s not as if the Yanks haven’t been through this before.
Dealing with a slew of injuries, includng to Jeter himself, the team has still managed to stay afloat. Jeter’s loss hurts, but isn’t insurmountable since New York has been without him most of the year. The Yankees have also gotten a boost from a number of players, including Alfonso Soriano, who has given the club 15 home runs since being traded from the Chicago Cubs.
If Jeter is truly out for the season, it will most likely hurt the Yankees in the playoffs where he’s been nothing short of dominant over his career. However, with or without him, the Yankees are right in the midle of a playoff race.