The Yankees just announced that Derek Jeter underwent surgery today in North Carolina to repair a left ankle fracture.
Jeter battled foot and ankle injuries down the stretch, but he suffered the fracture while trying to make a play on a ground ball in the 12th inning in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Tigers last Saturday. He’s expected to need 4-5 months of recovery time, which puts him on pace to be ready somewhere around the start of spring training in February if all goes well.
Any setbacks could put Jeter at risk for missing the start of the 2013 season, but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com this week that a shortstop isn’t on his offseason shopping list and that he’s prepared to forge ahead with Eduardo Nunez and Jayson Nix as backups.
Jeter, 38, continued to defy father time this year by batting .316/.362/.429 with 15 home runs, 58 RBI and a .791 OPS while leading the majors with 216 hits. He is owed $17 million next season while his contract includes an $8 million player option or $3 million buyout for 2014.
