NEW YORK -- New York Yankees shortstop Derek
Jeter and Boston Red Sox counterpart Nomar Garciaparra are set
to go head-to-head for the first time this season.
The two superstars were activated from the 15-day disabled list
today and are in their respective lineups for today's game at
Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees hope the return of their struggling star will boost
a sagging offense that ranks second-to-last in the American
League in runs. New York went 4-9 without Jeter and trails the
Red Sox by one game in the AL East.
An abdominal strain sent Jeter to the DL on May 12, the same day
Garciaparra went on the DL with a left hamstring pull that had
been bothering him for a week.
Jeter played five innings in a rehab start for the Yankees'
Class A affiliate in Tampa, Florida on Friday. He went 2-for-3
with a single and double and made three chances in the field
before catching a flight to New York.
To make room on the roster, the Yankees optioned 21-year-old
infielder Alfonso Soriano to Triple-A Columbus of the
International League. Soriano batted just .167 with a pair of
solo homers for New York and also struggled in the field.
Garciaparra aggravated the injury on May 11 while running out a
ground ball in the top of the first inning against Baltimore and
was immediately removed from the game. He originally suffered
the strain on May 5 against Tampa Bay.
Garciaparra, the reigning AL batting champion, is hitting .346
in 29 games this year, but his power numbers are down as he has
only two homers and 19 RBI.
The 26-year-old Garciaparra batted a career-high .357 last
season with 24 homers and 104 RBI in his third full year in the
major leagues. He also had stints on the disabled list in 1998
and 1999.
Jeter, 25, had been off to the worst start of his career before
suffering the injury, batting just .266 with three homers and 13
RBI. He came into the season a career .318 hitter. Last year, he
hit .349 with 24 homers and 102 RBI, battling Garciaparra for
the batting title until the final day of the season.
A two-time member of the AL All-Star team, Jeter's average never
dropped below .345 last season after going 3-for-3 on Opening
Day.
Jeter was hitless in his last 13 at-bats before being placed on
the DL.
He originally hurt himself while taking indoor batting practice
before a rainout on May 10. He aggravated the injury while
making a defensive play in the second inning of a 1-0 loss to
Tampa Bay the following night. The same type of injury landed
Jeter on the disabled list during the 1998 season.
The Yankees were without their entire double-play combination
on Friday as Chuck Knoblauch was a late scratch after
aggravating his strained left forearm in Chicago on Wednesday.
He also is not in the lineup today, resulting in another start
for Clay Bellinger at second base.
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