Joe Girardi hears Derek Jeter lobbying from Pennsylvania. He understands the Yankees captain's desire to arrive in The Bronx sooner than later. And considering the funk his lineup is in after last night's 3-1 loss to the Royals, Girardi would have gladly written JETER on the lineup card where he wrote NUNEZ.
Nevertheless, the Yankees manager isn't begging the front office to activate Jeter from the disabled list and release him from a minor league rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Nor is he counting out Jeter returning to the Yankees before the season begins a four-day hiatus Monday for next week's All-Star Game.
Anthony J Causi
Derek Jeter
"He has to play in the field a little bit longer and back-to-back, possibly,'' Girardi said of Jeter, who took a scheduled night off last evening and will play for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Wednesday night. "I know he is ready to be here. He was ready last week, but that's Derek. He is off [last night] and then I think he is scheduled to play back-to-back.''
Jeter has played in three rehab games for SWB, going 1-for-6 with four walks. He has started twice at short and been the designated hitter once. Monday night he played five innings at short and went 0-for-2, scored a run and walked once.
He is coming back from two fractured bones in his left ankle.
Unlike Alex Rodriguez, who is playing in Single-A at the start of his rehab assignment, Jeter opened at Triple-A because of the amount of simulated at-bats he had at the Yankees' minor league complex in Tampa.
Monday, Girardi said "there is always a chance'' when asked if Jeter could make it back this weekend when the Yankees play host to the Twins.
He didn't back off that answer Tuesday. Nor did he predict the 39-year old shortstop will play in the big leagues before the All-Star break.
"Anything is possible at this point,'' Girardi said. "A lot of things have happened around here.''
Girardi said "Sunday'' when asked if there was a point where he would rule Jeter out for the weekend.
The manager also explained Jeter's health would play a bigger part than the Yankees' previous two games, which saw them score a single run in each loss.
"We just won six in a row, but the real thing is to make sure he is ready because you don't want him pulling something,'' Girardi said. "We brought [Eduardo Nunez] here a little sooner than we expected him because of an injury [to Jayson Nix]. We want to make sure his legs are in shape, that he doesn't tweak a [hamstring] or tweak a calf because he hasn't played a lot. I don't think you really know with a guy coming off the DL. Your hope is that they come off and be the player they were before they got hurt.''
Whenever Jeter comes off the shelf, he will be the sixth shortstop used by Girardi. Nix has started 40 games there and Nunez 28. Reid Brignac, he of the smooth hands and strong arm but no bat, started a dozen. Alberto Gonzalez and Luis Cruz have started five and four, respectively.
None, of course, are Jeter. But what Jeter will look like remains to be seen. Just as when he will be spotted in the big leagues.
george.king@nypost.com
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