Kuzul

The Yankees just can’t catch a break.

After dealing with an ailing Joba Chamberlain, Sergio Mitre and Greg Golson this spring, the oblique strain is back and is now affecting key player Curtis Granderson.

The right muscle strain caused the hitter to be scratched from the lineup on Tuesday and may deprive Granderson of participating in Opening Day on Thursday against his former team, the Detroit Tigers.

Despite improvement from Granderson, there is still a change he may not be ready for Opening Day. Although it only took Mitre days to overcome the strain, it took Chamberlain 10 days and Golson two weeks to fully recover.

Rushing players back with this type of strain will most likely end badly.

Yankees Manager Joe Girardi told the Daily News, “We told him, look Curtis, we don’t need to rush this back where you say ‘I have to play by Friday or Saturday.’ You don’t have to do that. Let’s just make sure that when you’re ready to go, you’re ready to go.”

Despite starting off 2010 as one of the more dominant Yankee players, Granderson has had his ups and downs with the team, posting a .247 batting average with the Yankees last season.

Facing some difficulties on the plate, Granderson finished April with just a .211 batting average; this slump continued throughout the summer.

Thankfully for the Yankees, Granderson performed to his full potential from September throughout the playoffs, recording a .455 batting average in the ALDS against the Minnesota Twins and a .294 in the ALCS against the Texas Rangers.

Before becoming injured, Granderson’s success continued throughout Spring Training, recording a .385 batting average in 15 games.

“I know the guys more, I know the facility more, the coaching staff more,” Granderson told reporters of the Daily News, “This year will be very similar in mentality to every other spring training except for last year. I’m excited about that. Everything is just normal again.”

With Granderson feeling more comfortable and apart of the Yankees, when he is fully recovered from this strain (hopefully by Thursday), Granderson is expected to play as well as he has been.

If unable to play by Thursday, Brett Gardner will go back to his old position and replace Granderson in center field as Andruw Jones is a candidate to play left field.

Jones recorded a .230 batting average last season with 19 home runs, 12 doubles and one triple with the Chicago White Sox.

Another favorite to replace Granderson is outfielder Chris Dickerson (.267). The player went 3-for-3 with a RBI and a double on Saturday against the Pirates at Steinbrenner Field before getting taken out of the game due to cramps and hamstring spasms.

If healthy, he will most likely replace Granderson over Jones in left field.

Granderson being unable to play on Opening Day would impact the lineup, as he has more experience than Dickerson and is a better hitter and outfielder than either of these players.

However, the Yankees offense is performing up to par, leaving them to be in good shape until the Grandy man returns.

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Walt Jocketty, once again, has reached back into his past and grabbed a veteran to bring into the Cincinnati Reds organization.  This time, he has traded away Chris Dickerson to the Milwaukee Brewers for Jim Edmonds. 

Edmonds, now playing for his seventh Major League ballclub in his 16th year as a major leaguer, was hitting .286 with eight home runs and 20 RBI in 73 games for the Brewers.

Dickerson only played in 20 games for the Reds before going on the disabled list, but in his rehab assignment, he killed the ball in his 13 games at AAA Louisville, batting .442 (19-for-43).

In losing Dickerson, the Reds gave up a promising prospect who had some pretty good numbers while playing in 128 games over the last two seasons. He batted .283 during that span.

In return, the Reds get another proven veteran to help in the outfield, but one who has definitely seen his best years go past him. 

This move suggests that the Reds are content to keep Stubbs and Bruce in the lineup, and keep Heisey and Edmonds waiting in the wings to spell them when they falter again…or if they continue to falter, depending on how you look at it.

While I appreciate the experience Edmonds will bring to the team as the Reds make a push to the playoffs, I have to wonder if the price was too steep and how much gas is left in Edmonds’ 40 year old gas tank to make the difference when he’s called on to make that difference.

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The list of former Cardinals turned Reds grew again today. Cincinnati sent OF Chris Dickerson to the Brewers for the 40-year-old Jim Edmonds.

Former Cardinals and current Reds GM Walt Jocketty has acquired Scott Rolen, Jason Isringhausen, Russ Springer, and Miguel Cairo in the past year—all Cardinals at one point or another.

The big question: Does Edmonds have anything left in the tank?

In 217 plate appearances he is hitting .286, but only has eight homers and 20 RBI after sitting out the entire ’09 season. He’s a left-handed stick, and has been hitting pretty consistently since the break (.333).

The majority of his time has been spent in CF, and that’s where he will be starting for the Reds on Monday night. Can you guess whom they are playing?

The Cardinals come to town for the biggest home series in 10 years for the Reds. There are two games separating them, and Jocketty has obviously acknowledged the importance of winning this series.

Edmonds has played in the postseason seven different times. He is a .285 career hitter that will bring a great deal of veteran leadership to the club. He has accumulated eight gold gloves over his career. He can tell a guy like Jay Bruce what it’s like to play in meaningful September and October games.

I don’t think this move was a great idea, but giving up Dickerson isn’t the end of the world. He’s a guy that never seemed to fit into the Reds plans and he just coudn’t get over the hump.

Dickerson has been consistently injured. He has been hurt for three months—just like last year. He was hitting just .205 in 44 at-bats with the Reds this season. Since his return, though, he’s been hot while batting .442 with three homers and six steals in his first 13 games at AAA Louisville.

So, while I’m not a huge fan of Edmonds, it’s not as if the Reds gave up a five-tool prospect. But I think there is a subliminal reason for Reds’ fans to not like Edmonds.

He used to be one of the most disliked players when he was a Cardinal. Remember when there was a report that Ken Griffey Jr. called ESPN to complain that Edmonds was making it on “Top Plays” more than Junior? The rumor said that Griffey was jealous and wanted ESPN to do something about it.

That report really pissed me off. The guy was already a Reds killer on the field (like many of the top N.L. central hitters of the 2000’s), and now some stupid fake rumor like this was floating around? I’m sure Edmonds had nothing to do with it, but it angered me just the same.

Well, now it’s 2010 and Reds fans have to root for the guy. It was a low-risk move that might have its most profound effects outside of the box-score. If he’s still able to play a decent CF and continue to hit in the .280’s, well done Jocketty.

If not, he will certainly have a short lease with me. But then again, the starter for most of the year (Drew Stubbs) is still hovering below .240.

A move had to be made and Jocketty went with a familiar face. We will know very quickly if it was the right move.

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The Reds are starting to get to the end of the bat stub with their starting center fielder. Drew Stubbs is currently going through the worst stretch of his short major league career.  In his last 36 at bats, he has just one hit and 17 strike-outs.  Ewww…

That’s a monster-sized slump that can’t be tolerated on a team in a pennant race. Going back even further, in 52 games since June 1st, he’s sporting these numbers: .222 BA/.271 OBP/.634 OPS with seven HR, 24 RBI and 58 K.

Bottom line, a .229 overall batting average is not going to cut it for a team 12 games above .500.

But it’s not as if Stubbs is completely useless. He plays a great center field and has 18 stolen bases. Reds broadcaster Thom Brennaman called him the fastest player he’s seen in his 20 years covering the game.

The speedster has pop as well. Stubbs has 13 home-runs and 49 RBI. Hitting out of the seven-hole, 49 RBI isn’t shabby.

The problem? There is another option down in the farm system. His name? Chris Dickerson.

Dickerson is on fire at AAA. He collected three more hits last night. He’s hitting .421 in 12 games on his rehab assignment. He’s drawing walks (.511 OBP) and stealing bases (five of six). Remember, he was the guy patrolling CF on Opening Day.

His wrist is healed and he is ready to go. What’s the harm in sending Stubbs down to AAA for a few weeks and letting him get his stroke/confidence back? A fresh Dickerson, along with Chris Heisey, can man the CF spot for the next month and allow Stubbs a chance to clear his head.

Normally, the Reds wouldn’t touch Stubbs during this time of year. “Give the young guy reps” is always the mantra when a team is well out of the play-off race.

This year is different. The margin for error is very slim when the competition (St. Louis) is much more experience in a pennant race. The Reds can’t afford the young Stubbs time to work out the kinks in his swing.

For now, why not roll the dice and see what Dickerson can do in pressure ABs? The oft-injured California kid has never had this opportunity in three big league seasons. If he doesn’t work out, Stubbs can be vaulted right back up to the Reds line-up.

But for now, Dusty Baker needs to do something. Shake up the order a bit and let Stubbs figure his swing out at the AAA level, not for a team trying to make the post-season for the first time since ’95.

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