TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -Yankees co-chairman Hank Steinbrenner has not changed his mind, even after consecutive weekend losses to the crosstown rival New York Mets. He still believes his team will rebound from a slow start.
“You can’t be mad at this point,” Steinbrenner said Monday night after watching the Class-A Tampa Yankees play Vero Beach. “I just think eventually they’ll go on a streak where they have a good record. They’ll go on a tear. There’s no question, eventually it will happen.”
The Yankees, last in the AL East at 20-24, have struggled offensively.
“You don’t have the best lineup in baseball and then just in the offseason lose it all,” Steinbrenner said. “Somebody is going to start hitting at some point, it’s going to be more than one, and they’ll start putting it together.”
An offensive spark could be coming for Tuesday night’s game against Baltimore, when third baseman Alex Rodriguez is set to rejoin the team. A-Rod has been out since April 28 with a strained right quadriceps.
“He’ll certainly be one of them, yes,” Steinbrenner said. “It will make the other hitters better in a way.”
Steinbrenner, overall, is taking a wait-and-see approach with his team.
“There’s only so much you can do at this point of the season,” Steinbrenner said. “I think they’ll be fine.”
Rodriguez finished his rehabilitation program in Tampa, Fla. on Monday.
“I’m excited to get back into Yankee Stadium and playing baseball. It’s where I belong,” Rodriguez said after going 2-for-6 in an extended spring training game.
Rodriguez doubled and singled in six at-bats against Philadelphia minor league right-hander Reginal Simon. He also reached on error, struck out and flied out twice, making him 3-for-10 with a homer in two extended spring training games.
Rodriguez was asked about becoming a spark for the team.
“We’ll see,” he said. “No predictions.”
Rodriguez fielded three grounders – including two he had to charge in on – during five innings at third base.
“I wanted to go left, I wanted to go right defensively. I wanted to come forward on some slow rollers, and I got every one of them,” Rodriguez said. “I’m happy about that. I got a chance to slide a few times, and swing the bat well.”
Another key injured player, catcher Jorge Posada, could return early next month. He is out with a right shoulder injury.
Notes: One of the Yankees’ top starting pitching prospects, RHP Alan Horne, threw 26 pitches over two scoreless innings. On the disabled list with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with a biceps injury, Horne is scheduled to throw 50 pitches in an extended spring game Thursday. … 17-year old Dominican OF Kelvin DeLeon is playing with the extended spring team and homered Monday. … The Yankees’ May 11 rainout at Detroit has been rescheduled for Sept. 1 at 1:05 p.m. … The Yankees will switch equipment sponsorship from Adidas to Nike next year under a five-year deal that has been agreed to in principle, Sports Business Journal reported. Nike spokesman Dean Stoyer said the company wouldn’t confirm or discuss the report until after the season and Yankees spokesman Howard Rubenstein said he wasn’t able to reach any team officials for comment. Adidas has sponsored the Yankees since 1997. All big league teams’ on-field apparel, however, is covered by Major League Baseball’s agreements.
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