Derek Jeter is eligible to return from the disabled list as soon as June 29 against the Brewers. He’ll certainly make it his mission to be ready by then, but Jimmy Rollins tells Jayson Stark of ESPN.com that the calf injury could linger for the rest of the season.
And Rollins should know. He strained his right calf muscle last April and was limited to just 20 games over the first three months of the season while serving separate month-long stints on the disabled list. It wasn’t until the offseason did he have the opportunity to heal completely.
Granted, these are somewhat different situations. Rollins was diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain while Jeter’s is a Grade 1, which is considered the least severe. Still, this is a troubling scenario for a 36-year-old shortstop who currently has the lowest batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS of his career.
“The best advice I can give Derek is, ‘You’re going to get healed in the offseason.’”
And Rollins should know. He strained his right calf muscle last April and was limited to just 20 games over the first three months of the season while serving separate month-long stints on the disabled list. It wasn’t until the offseason did he have the opportunity to heal completely.
“I don’t even think about my calf injury anymore,” Rollins says now, 14 months after he suffered a Grade 2 strain of his calf while running simple wind sprints before a game last April. “But all last year? That was No. 1 -- before anything, before I stretched, before I hit, before I looked at who was pitching. It was, ‘How’s my calf?’”
“When you think you’re good, you’re not even close,” he said. “Still take more time. ... No matter what your mind thinks, your muscles don’t speak English.”
Granted, these are somewhat different situations. Rollins was diagnosed with a Grade 2 strain while Jeter’s is a Grade 1, which is considered the least severe. Still, this is a troubling scenario for a 36-year-old shortstop who currently has the lowest batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS of his career.
