Jeter

Update on Jeter
NEW YORK -- Derek Jeter took batting
practice on the field Tuesday for the
first time since going on the disabled
list with a right calf strain on Aug. 3. He
also took ground balls at shortstop and
tested his calf with some light running
on the field.
It's a sign of progress for the Yankees'
shortstop, who took tee and toss for
the first time on Monday. He said he'll
probably do similar programs on
Wednesday and Thursday before flying
to Tampa, Fla., to continue his rehab while the
Yankees are on the road.
"It's a day-to-day thing," Jeter said. "They told
me I'm taking BP, so I'm taking BP. Tomorrow,
I don't know. I know I'm going to Tampa on
Thursday. That's all I know."
Jeter is 10 days into his third DL stint this
season. He missed the first three months of the
season while recovering from a broken left
ankle, returned to play one game on July 11 and
went on the DL again after suffering a right
quad strain in that game. He joined the club
again on July 28, but he was only able to play
four games before going back on the DL.
Jeter -- who is batting .211 with a home run and
two RBIs -- said he wasn't sure if he would be
able to return to the Yankees when eligible on
Sunday. He also doesn't know whether he'll
have to play rehab games in the Minors before
he returns.
"I always think I can just jump back in. I did last
time," Jeter said. "If they want me to go play
somewhere, I'll go play somewhere. It's entirely
up to them. I'm not really in a power position to
negotiate. That's all I can say."
Granderson focused on finding timing at plate
NEW YORK -- Curtis Granderson can't
mirror the time he missed during Spring
Training and the first four months of the
regular season, so he knows it's going
to take a while for him to get his timing
back at the plate.
But if Monday night is any indication,
he's close. The outfielder's seventh-
inning home run against the Angels
proved to be the decisive run in the
Yankees' 2-1 victory.
"My timing is the main thing right now,"
Granderson said. "I just got to continue to work
with different things -- deliveries to the plate,
just realizing the rhythm the pitchers are getting
into. It's just something that happens over
time."
A broken arm suffered in Spring Training and a
broken pinkie sustained in May have kept
Granderson out of all but 18 games this season,
perhaps contributing to his struggles at the
plate.
Granderson has just 14 hits in 59 at-bats
entering Tuesday and has struggled since
coming off the disabled list for the second time
on Aug. 2, batting just .226 with two home runs
and four RBIs over 10 games.
Monday's home run was his third of the season,
and it came against a pitcher -- Angels starter
Garrett Richards -- whom Granderson is now 4-
for-6 against with three home runs in his career.
"I think as a hitter, he knows when he's starting
to get right. It's a feeling you feel when you're
seeing the ball better," manager Joe Girardi
said. "Curtis was able to hit that home run --
it's a feeling that a hitter gets, and you can't
always notice it."
The free agent to be said he has been taking
extra swings with hitting coach Kevin Long and
will continue to do so until he feels like he gets
his timing back.
"You only can control what you can, and I
understand that there aren't many games left,"
Granderson said. "But I can get out there and
hit a little more. I can get in the batting cage,
go out on the field a little early both at home
and on the road, and that's what Kevin Long
and myself have been continuing to do."
Girardi gives Gardner, Ichiro, Stewart a rest
NEW YORK -- Yankees manager Joe
Girardi shuffled his lineup Tuesday with
the hopes of fulfilling multiple purposes.
It was a chance to sit some left-handed
hitters against Angels lefty Jason
Vargas, but it also served as a way to
rest players the Yankees have been
running out on the field on almost an
everyday basis.
"Just using everyone," Girardi said,
"keeping everyone strong and fresh."
Girardi slotted shortstop Eduardo Nunez in the
leadoff spot for the first time this season, which
gave usual center fielder Brett Gardner a
breather. Gardner had played in 115 of the
team's 117 games entering Tuesday night.
"He's been playing every day, but I've noticed
in the second half when I've given him a day off
how much more explosive he's been," Girardi
said. "He seemed to swing better. I think that's
important. We ran him really hard the first half,
and I think it took its toll a little bit."
Vernon Wells started in right field on Tuesday in
place of the left-handed-hitting Ichiro Suzuki.
Girardi also held catcher Chris Stewart out of
the lineup to give him a rest and started Austin
Romine. Stewart has played in a career-high 80
games this season, 13 more than he played in
while with San Francisco in 2011.
Stewart was hit on the hand with a backswing
during Monday night's 2-1 win over the Angels,
but Girardi said Stewart's fine.
Romine has also been hot at the plate. In his
last 11 games going back to July 11, Romine
was 11-for-31 (.355) with four doubles, a home
run and four RBIs.
"We think he's made some really big
improvements in his time here," Girardi said.
"We're happy with the way he's playing. I don't
feel like I need to run Stew into the ground. I
can keep them both involved and active. A lot
of times when you do that, you can get more
productivity."
Girardi said Romine will likely see some more
playing time, but Stewart will still catch "a lot."
Bombers bits
• Second baseman Robinson Cano is one home
run shy of 200 for his career. He was a .444
lifetime hitter against Vargas entering Tuesday.
• Left-handed reliever Boone Logan turned 29
on Tuesday.
• Two Yankees Hall of Famers have died on
Aug. 13. Mickey Mantle passed away on this
date in 1995, and Phil Rizzuto passed away in
2007.
Josh Vitale and Chris Iseman are associate
reporters for MLB.com. This story was not
subject to the approval of Major League
Baseball or its clubs.