Gardner won't call himself leadoff man

When the Yankees unplugged Derek Jeter from the leadoff spot in order to place him on the 15-day disabled list with a right calf strain last night, it opened the door for leftfielder Brett Gardner to move up to the top spot from the bottom of the order. And the question on the minds of many Yankees fans had to be whether that might be a peek into the not-too-distant future.

Heading into last night's rain-delayed game against AL West-leading Texas, Gardner was batting .272 compared with Jeter's .260 with a .351 OBP to Jeter's .324 mark. But Gardner's first game at the top in Jeter's absence was impressive. He went 3-for-4 with an RBI, three runs, a walk and a stolen base in the Yankees' 12-4 win over the Rangers.

Those are indicative of a leadoff man's stats, but Gardner wasn't going to jump the gun when asked if he's the logical replacement at the top of the order. "I don't know," Gardner said before hearing the news that Jeter indeed was placed on the DL. "It's one of those things where, hopefully, that day doesn't come for a while. Hopefully, he's back in there soon and doing the things he's normally doing, helping us win ballgames and getting on base. I'm happy wherever they put me in the lineup and take the same approach out there."

Gardner actually began this season batting leadoff with Jeter hitting No. 2, but it didn't pan out. Joe Girardi eventually dropped Gardner and moved Curtis Granderson into the two-hole. But in the 45 games before last night, Gardner got hot, hitting .336 in that stretch.

"I just got off to a slow start," Gardner said. "I wasn't swinging the bat real well. My approach was a little bit inconsistent. I had some bad luck. It wouldn't have mattered if I was hitting first or fourth or ninth. I wasn't swinging the bat well.

"Recently, I feel like I've been swinging the bat well, and I've been pretty solid, no matter where I'm at in the lineup. I'm going to try and keep that going, stay consistent."

If the Yankees have a player capable of manufacturing a run with his legs, it's Gardner. With Jeter on the DL, this is a chance for Gardner to make an impact with his speed.

"You get an extra plate appearance every day," Gardner said. "Hopefully, I'm able to take that extra plate appearance and get on base with it and create some havoc on the bases and get in scoring position for the guys coming up behind me because they've been swinging the bats well."

Of course, when Jeter returns, there's no question he'll be leading off, at least until he gets his 3,000th hit and probably well beyond that. But Jeter's days as leadoff man likely are numbered. Does that mean Gardner might feel extra pressure the next two weeks?

"No, you're talking about a guy who is irreplaceable," Gardner said. "First of all, hopefully he's not out [long]. You just try to do the best you can."