Yankees place Berkman on DL
Lance Berkman’s sprained ankle was not progressing as well as the New York Yankees would have liked. With the team already banged up, Berkman was placed on the disabled list.
"It hadn't progressed quite as quickly as we wanted it to," manager Joe Girardi said. "We're somewhat short on infielders without him. We thought it was in our best interest to DL him, and that way, he's not rushing back."
The Yankees have called up Triple-A infielder Eduardo Nunez to take Berkman’s spot. Alex Rodriguez is also battling an injury himself and has been on the bench all week.
Berkman sprained his ankle when stepping on Royals’ pitcher Bryan Bullington’s foot on a play at first base. Berkman was trying to beat the throw and paid the price for it. He is yet to run since injuring his ankle.
"It's still a little sore. There's one spot on the inside, where that ball is, that's still bothering me," Berkman said.
The Yankees acquired the five-time All-Star from the Houston Astros at the trade deadline in hopes of bolstering the offence. Berkman has struggled since his Yankees debut. He has only batted a .179 average and has mostly been used as a designated hitter.
Nunez is considered to be the Yankees top prospect in the minor leagues. The Yankees were considering trading the infielder in order to acquire Cliff Lee in a trade but dropped negotiations with the Seattle Mariners. Nunez can play virtually any position. He has already played at shortstop, third base, second base and can also play the outfield. He has batted .289 this season with the Yankees Triple-A team this season.
"We're short, so they had to do something to fortify – particularly get another infielder in here," Berkman said. "It's obviously not ideal. I didn't come over here to sit on the bench and rot on the DL. But the better part of the season will be – the most exciting time is September and hopefully October, so I’m just trying to get ready for that."
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