TAMPA – The Yankees won’t know the extent of Nick Johnson’s left wrist injury until tomorrow. However, Joe Torre feels more secure with what he has behind Johnson this season than he did last.
“We have more options this year,” Torre said yesterday, the second straight day Johnson didn’t hit due to a painful wrist that will undergo a bone scan tomorrow. An MRI taken Thursday was negative. He is able to throw. “With Hideki [Matsui] that opens up a spot for Rondell White and Todd Zeile, and those two guys have been regular players.”
While the exhibition season hasn’t even started, it’s never too early to worry about Johnson when it comes to hand/wrist injuries. He missed the entire 2000 season with a mysterious right hand injury and was out of 24 games last year with a left wrist injury that never fully healed after he suffered it diving for a ball.
“If it doesn’t get better, you can’t count on him,” Torre said of Johnson, who experienced a rocky rookie season last summer, batting .243 with 15 homers and 58 RBIs while splitting time at first base and DH.
Johnson wasn’t buoyed by the MRI being clean.
“That’s good, but it’s still sore so it’s got to be something,” a dejected Johnson said. “Right now they don’t know. Hopefully the next test they figure what it is and go from there.”
When Johnson was out from Aug. 8 to Sept. 3 last year, Torre found more playing time for Ron Coomer and Shane Spencer. Coomer went 2-for-21 (.095) and Spencer hit .360 (9-for-25). That’s a combined 11-for-46 (.239).
“I don’t want to look at getting at-bats because Nick may be hurt,” said White, who is coming off the worst season of his career in which he batted .240 with 14 homers and 62 RBIs. “Nick’s my boy and I want him to play. But I want to play, too. I don’t want to sit. I am 31, not 37. I had one bad year, I didn’t hit for one year. I certainly don’t want to leave New York off the year I had.”
White, who would fill in at the DH spot, heard the winter rumblings about how the Yankees were looking to move his $5 million contract. Now, if Johnson’s wrist is a long-term deal the Yankees may be happy they didn’t trade White.
As for Zeile, he knew at-bats weren’t going to come with the regularity they had in his previous 14 seasons, all of which he was a regular player.
“I want to be productive for the team,” said Zeile, who hit .273 with 18 homers and 87 RBIs for the Rockies a year ago. “Other than that, we will have to wait and see where the at-bats fall.”
Robin Ventura and Zeile are close friends. Yet, the prospect of the right-handed hitting Zeile taking at-bats away from the lefty-swinging Zeile hasn’t stressed the relationship.
“From the impression I have gotten those at-bats would have gone to somebody else,” Zeile said.
“Not really,” Ventura said when asked if it was awkward situation. “I don’t see a problem with it. [Zeile] is here and I am happy he is here.”
Meanwhile, the Yankees wait on Johnson’s bone scan. Yet, when Torre talks about the injury, his tone isn’t upbeat.
“The problem is that it hasn’t gone away,” Torre said. “Hopefully, we can find out what it is and go after it.”