Derek Jeter Might Want to Rethink World Baseball Classic Due to Hamstring Injury

Derek Jeter suffered a minor hamstring injury yesterday, which has the Yankees concerned as he gets ready to join Team USA in the World Baseball Classic next week.

Manager Joe Girardi called the injury mere soreness, noting that it doesn’t qualify as a pull or a strain, and is worried that his shortstop will be competing in meaningful games a little too soon.

“It’s awful early to be playing meaningful games,” Girardi said. “Is his hamstring bad? No. It’s a little sore. Guys are going to go through sore periods during this time in spring training. That’s why we do this before we start playing games.”

The WBC starts March 5 with Jeter leaving the Yankees to practice with the team shortly before that. Girardi said he will be keeping an eye on his captain until then.

“It does concern me,” Girardi said. “The last thing we want is some player getting hurt in the WBC, because that could affect our whole season. We will talk and make sure that he’s healthy.”

Hopefully Jeter will be smart about this and understands that there is nothing to gain by getting hurt in the WBC. The problem is that Jeet hardly will ever admit to pain and usually will play through it without letting on that anything is wrong.

Girardi is probably taking notice as a precaution, but last season he had the habit of misleading reporters on the seriousness of the injuries. Often he would say serious injuries were slight pulls or minor tendinitis. So hopefully he’s just had a change of heart in telling the truth when speaking to reporters and there is not something more serious going on here.

He did say that he would make sure Jeter gets into the first couple of exhibition games before he leaves camp so he’ll be ready to go by the time he joins the tournament.