YANKEE NOTES
As far as Joe Torre is concerned, David Justice’s return from the DL will be as good as a trade.
With the July 31 trade deadline coincidentally looming, Justice is expected to return from Tampa today to continue rehabilitation of a strained left groin.
The Yankee manager said Justice could be ready for a rehab assignment (possibly in Class AA Norwich) as soon as Friday. Torre wouldn’t say how Justice’s presence will affect the lineup.
He did offer that Justice, hitting .246 with 10 homers and 30 RBIs, will probably start out as a DH.
“We’ll probably ease him back in,” Torre said. “You’re going to have to look him in the eye and talk to him, but he’s going to have the confidence he can navigate out there.”
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Torre finally had a chance to talk to Frank Robinson, Major League Baseball’s vice president of on-field operations, concerning Torre’s recent ejection.
In the eighth inning of Sunday’s game against Toronto, Jay Witasick threw inside to Jose Cruz Jr. Home plate umpire Rob Drake warned both teams, which lit Torre’s fuse. Torre argued and was ejected, later calling the incident a “farce.”
“We hugged and made up, even though we weren’t fighting with each other,” Torre said. “And he explained to me what they’re trying to do, which is fine.”
Torre still doesn’t know whether he’ll be fined for post-game comments, but didn’t try to dissuade Robinson.
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A couple of Yankees are well aware of the trade deadline. Brandon Knight, who was dealt earlier in the year in a botched transaction with Montreal, doesn’t even have a nameplate above his locker.
“It’s the same thing that happened last time,” Knight said. “It does seem kind of interesting.”
Left fielder Shane Spencer said he doesn’t have “a whole lot of time” to prove his mettle, with Justice coming back and the deadline looming.
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Mark Wohlers changed his number from 57 to 39 after returning from a bad road trip.
The Yanks committed a season-high four errors, and most since June 3 of last year in Atlanta. They have hit nine homers in the last three games. They increased their major league lead in steals to 115.