Gary Sheffield, OF, New York Yankees

June 12, 2006 @ 14:29:34

By Joshua Ellis
Edited by KFFL Staff

Just like New York Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield (wrist) wags his bat at each plate appearance, his 2006 season has been just as shifty. Sheffield has battled with injuries all year, and it started even before the season began. February 28, Sheffield had back spasms that hampered his participation in spring training. March 6, Sheffield was day-to-day with a minor hamstring injury. April 24, Sheffield had a sore knee and left shoulder after a collision with an outfield wall. Another collision occurred April 30, when he and Toronto Blue Jays' infielder Shea Hillenbrand collided while Sheffield was running to first base. This injury did damage to Sheffield's right knee but more importantly it damaged his left wrist. This is the injury that has been the source of struggle for Sheffield for the past month.

After Sheffield got injured in the collision with Hillenbrand he was "encouraged" to undergo treatment on his left wrist. Instead, Sheffield played through the pain and also received treatments on his wrist. Finally, Sheffield went on the disabled list May 9. At first, no timetable was made for his return and the possibility of surgery arose. After taking some time off, Sheffield was reported to have been feeling better and surgery had been ruled out for the time being.

A week later, Sheffield started playing catch again and took batting practice for the first time since being put on the DL. He wasn't hurting, so he retuned to the lineup on May 23. Sheffield went 0-for-3 against the Boston Red Sox. The next day, Sheffield was reported to have had a broken hamate bone in his left hand. The hamate bone is in the wrist and is commonly fractured by golfers when they swing and strike the ground instead of the ball. A hairline fracture of the hamate bone is tough to see through an X-ray, and this may have been the source of the initial confusion over Sheffield's injury. Nevertheless, Sheffield continued to play until May 29. He had gotten a hit in five of the six games back from his injury but was taken out of action on May 30. Sheffield returned to the DL the next day and an MRI confirmed that he had torn ligaments in his wrist and that his tendon continues to dislocate. It has been decided that surgery will be required to fix the problem in Sheffield's wrist and it will necessitate at least two months to heal properly.

Before his injury, Sheffield had been putting up his typical gaudy numbers. He was hitting .309 with four home runs and 19 RBI. Sheffield also swiped five bases in six attempts. The injury is a big blow to a Yankees team who have also seen their other All-Star outfielder Hideki Matsui miss significant time with a broken left wrist. The left wrist injuries to the corner outfielders have been a burden on baseball's richest team.

The Yankees were 19-11 with Sheffield and 16-12 with out him. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and general manager Brian Cashman have found a way to make up for the loss in production of the nine-time All-Star. The lucky recipient in playing time has been outfielder Melky Cabrera. Cabrera is in his second season with the Yankees where he began his career. If you are looking for a possible replacement for Sheffield, Cabrera might be it. He is hitting .278 this season with 12 RBI and 17 runs scored. He also has two stolen bases and doesn't strike out much. He has no home runs in his career that includes 116 at-bats but, if you are in need of runs, Cabrera can be a good addition. In 97 at-bats, Cabrera has scored 17 times. He also has been hitting at the top of the Yankee lineup with the injury problems of shortstop Derek Jeter (hand). It will be good to check where Cabrera will land in the order to determine his production. If he lands at the top of the lineup, he will have much higher run totals than if he lands at the bottom.

Overall, the injury to Sheffield is going to hurt the Yankees because they lose a great bat in the middle of the lineup. The thing that separates this situation from most other team's situations is that this is the Yankees. They have such a potent lineup that they have still been able to win games and contend for the National League East Title. Since Sheffield wags his wrists so much in his batting stance, it is important that the Yankees don't rush Sheffield back from his injury so that he can be effective when he returns later in the season. His lengthy return time puts him near the end of the regular season, so only put him on the disabled list if you have extra space and it won't cause you to drop someone else who will return in time to help your team.

As mentioned earlier, Cabrera has proven himself in 27 games this season to be an adequate replacement for Sheffield. Other players that may be available in larger mixed leagues that can hold Sheffield's place for the time being are: Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman/outfielder Craig Wilson (.270-9-26), Oakland Athletics outfielder Mark Kotsay (.272-6-23) and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Brady Clark (.290-2-15).

Try to weather the storm and take this time to fill the areas your team needs filled with a replacement player that specialized in a desired area. As for Sheffield, wish him the best of health for his return because his contract and your team's hopes may rest on his left wrist.

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Joshua Ellis
Joshua has been a KFFL contributor since 2006.

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