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NEW YORK (AP) — Derek Jeter was out of the New York Yankees' lineup for the second consecutive game Sunday night after feeling tightness in his right quadriceps.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Jeter's quad got a little tight Friday night, but the 39-year-old shortstop finished the game. He received a scheduled day off Saturday and the original plan was to play him Sunday night against Boston. Girardi, however, said he changed his mind Saturday and decided to rest Jeter again to give the captain three days off in a row.
New York is off Monday before hosting the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night.
"I figured, you know what? It probably makes more sense to give him today," Girardi explained, saying Jeter would be available in an emergency. "I could have put him in there."
Girardi said no tests are scheduled and he's just trying to be smart about keeping Jeter healthy. He said Jeter wasn't happy about sitting out — as usual — even though he had played seven days in a row before the weekend.
"I told him missing one game is better than possibly missing four to six weeks, if something was to happen. So, I feel really good about putting him out there on Tuesday," Girardi said. "I think he understands what I'm trying to do, but his heart, he just wants to be out there."
Jeter plans to retire after this season. Leg injuries limited the 13-time All-Star to 17 games last year after he broke his left ankle in the 2012 playoffs.
The Yankees said Jeter would not be available for comment before the game.
"I didn't see him really move around a whole lot different on Friday, but it's a concern of mine when someone tells me something's tight because I think it's more apt to do something serious if you don't work that stiffness out," Girardi said.
Dean Anna started at shortstop for the second straight game.
In other news, first baseman Mark Teixeira took batting practice on the field and Girardi called that "a really good sign." Teixeira is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring. He is eligible to return next Sunday at Tampa Bay.
New York also hopes closer David Robertson (strained left groin) will be ready to come off the DL as soon as he is eligible, on April 22 for the opener of a three-game series in Boston.
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