Jeter Out Of Lineup Due To Ankle Soreness, Nunez Takes Over At Shortstop

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Derek Jeter was out of the Yankees' lineup Sunday with soreness in his surgically repaired left ankle.

Eduardo Nunez started at shortstop as the Yankees tried to avoid a four-game sweep by rival Boston.

New York manager Joe Girardi said Jeter probably will be held out for a couple of days before further evaluation. Girardi said he is concerned about the lingering injury to Jeter, but there is no thought about shutting him down for the rest of the season at this point.

The captain of the Yankees has missed most of the season after breaking his left ankle in the opener of the AL championship series last year. Also sidelined by a strained right quadriceps and calf, the 39-year-old veteran is batting .190 with a homer and seven RBIs in 17 games.

Girardi said he noticed Jeter wasn't moving around well Saturday, and the 13-time All-Star was pulled for a pinch-runner after an RBI single in the sixth inning. He went to a hospital for a precautionary CT scan on his ankle, and the club said preliminary results were negative.

The team also planned to send the test results to Dr. Robert Anderson, who performed the original surgery on Jeter's ankle last October.

"It's something he's had to deal with all year, and we'll continue to manage it," said Girardi, adding he's not sure what the Yankees can expect from Jeter the rest of the way.

"My hope is after a few days it calms down and we can get him back out there," the manager said. "You've got to really go day by day."

New York began the day 2½ games out of the final AL wild-card spot with 20 games remaining, so time is running out for Jeter.

"I know he's frustrated, and he wants to be out there. It's tearing him up inside," Girardi said. "But I think as much as he doesn't like it and he wants to be out there, I think he understands our point of view about trying to give it a couple days to calm down and see where we're at."

Girardi acknowledged it's been "weird" to fill out so many lineup cards this season without Jeter's name. He said this has probably been the worst year Jeter has ever endured.

"And you could probably go back to when he started when he was 6 years old," Girardi said.