Major League Baseball

Will Jeter have to return to DL?

Published Jul. 12, 2013 8:59 p.m. ET

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Derek Jeter was not going to take it easy, not after spending 91 agonizing games sidelined with a broken ankle. That's not Jeter.

At 39 years old, the New York Yankees captain might not have been ready to return to the team at his desired level of play.

In his first game this season, Jeter strained his right quadriceps in his third at-bat Thursday. He will miss the weekend series against Minnesota, and New York won't rule out a return to the disabled list.

"It's frustrating. I don't know what else you want me to say," Jeter said in a statement Friday. "I worked hard to get to the point of rejoining the team yesterday. It's not how you draw it up, but hopefully I'll be back out there soon and help this team win some games."

After just four rehabilitation games, the Yankees pushed up the star shortstop's return one day after Brett Gardner and Travis Hafner got hurt Wednesday night. Jeter had been telling the team he was ready to return, and general manager Brian Cashman said reports from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre were positive.

So Jeter returned to a huge ovation and beat out an infield hit in his first at-bat. He also scored a run and had an RBI on a groundout that ended in a close play at first. He was pinch hit for in the eighth inning.

"The way the game unraveled in his first two at-bats, they were go get'em situations, and Derek's going to do everything he can to succeed, and his body said not yet," Cashman said. "Is that because of his age or more so maybe what he's coming back from? ... It's hard to say."

Either way, Jeter is out again. An MRI showed a grade one strain.

Jeter, of course, was against going straight to the disabled list. The plan is to keep the shortstop out for the three-game series against the Twins, and then he will have four days for the All-Star break to receive further treatment before the Yankees reevaluate. After the break, they start a series at Boston on July 19.

"We'll have to give it some time and see how he responds," said Cashman, who added that Jeter's ankle is fine.

Cashman wouldn't blame age as a factor for Jeter's latest injury: "I don't want to say it's Father Time knocking on his door."

But manager Joe Girardi was realistic about how he uses the Yankees career hits leader.

"I don't think it's a guy that you can run out there 40, 50 days in a row like you used to," Girardi said. "You're going to have to manage that."

In a season full of makeshift lineups because of absent former All-Stars, the Yankees appear to have been snakebit twice.

Call it DL 2.0.

Jeter joins Mark Teixeira (wrist surgery), outfielder Curtis Granderson (broken pinkie) and catcher Francisco Cervelli (broken hand), who have been hurt and then had setbacks or second injuries.

Teixeira returned briefly before season-ending surgery. Cervelli developed a stress reaction and is shut down for now. Granderson, who broke his forearm in his first at-bat in spring training only to be hit again after eight games back, was just cleared Thursday to take dry swings, Cashman said.

Alex Rodriguez (hip surgery) was due to play seven innings for Class-A Tampa on Friday night, but the game was rained out. He is just 2 for 15 in his rehab assignment with one RBI.

Cashman was eager to get his stars back but with all the setbacks and uncertainty, he can expect to explore trades as the July 31 deadline approaches.

"When they're healthy they're getting plugged in," Cashman said. "And we'll be willing to sink or swim with them but don't misunderstand that we're not going to try to reinforce other aspects when we can, if we can. But we really do look forward to getting those guys back."

Either way, Girardi thinks the team, which is 50-42 despite all the injuries, will do just fine.

"This group has been pretty good about moving on," he said.

NOTE: The Yankees completed a contract with their third first-round draft pick, Aaron Judge, No. 32 overall for $1.8 million. The outfielder out of Fresno State was a compensation pick for losing Nick Swisher to free agency.

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