Posada not happy to still be on DL
New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada (20) hits a single in the bottom of the second inning against the Minnesota Twins. (May 16, 2010) Credit: Christopher Pasatieri
Jorge Posada's eyes conveyed irritation long before he opened his mouth to speak.
When approached by a few reporters Tuesday afternoon, the catcher didn't hide his annoyance. "Nothing has changed, boys," he said. "Don't ask me every day. When I'm in the lineup, I'm in the lineup."
It wasn't until an hour later that Posada revealed the root of his frustration.
"I thought I was in there today," said the Yankees catcher, who was eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list Tuesday. "I thought I was coming off the DL today, I thought I was going to be in there. And they say no. So I can't do nothing about it. Just get ready for tomorrow."
Posada, who was placed on the DL May 20 with a hairline fracture in his right foot, said he didn't debate manager Joe Girardi's decision. "Why would I argue?" Posada asked, before flashing a wry smile as he walked away.
Girardi said on Monday that he needed to see Posada run and then evaluate how the catcher bounced back the next day. Before the game against Baltimore, Girardi said Posada - who ran the bases and took batting practice before Monday's game against Cleveland - felt "good" Tuesday.
But the manager still chose not to activate the veteran catcher.
"We wanted to see him run again," said Girardi, who blamed the inclement weather for keeping Posada off the field and on the treadmill. "Today was important for me that he came back and felt fine - which he did, so that's a good thing. We don't have to see a lot more. The big thing was how he came back today."
The manager said he isn't ruling out playing Posada against the Orioles Wednesday or Thursday. "He's really only run one day. The conditioning is important so he doesn't pull something. But I don't think anything's out of the question," he said.
Girardi also isn't ruling out keeping three catchers - Posada, Francisco Cervelli and Chad Moeller - on the roster.
"That's something that we'll discuss," the manager said.
Posada said he hopes to be activated Wednesday, though he expects to be used as a designated hitter - and not catcher - upon his return.
"I have no idea what they're going to do. They don't talk to me," he said. "I just want to be in the lineup, that's all that matters. It's been tough. It's been a tough year. The team is doing good, that's all that really matters."
