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Yankees' Spencer Going to Triple-A
Updated 4:02 PM ET April 12, 2001
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - New York Yankees outfielder Shane Spencer had two infield singles in four at bats during his final extended spring training game Thursday and will join Triple-A Columbus this weekend.
Spencer, who had right knee surgery last July, started in left field the past week for the Yankees' extended spring team. New York manager Joe Torre said late in spring training the outfielder would need to play two-to-three weeks in rehab games.
"I ran a lot better than I thought I was going to," Spencer said. "It's the best I felt since before I got hurt. I feel good."
Spencer is scheduled to work out with Columbus on Friday and play on Saturday.
http://news.excite.com/news/ap/010412/16/bba-yankees-spencer
Great news...good luck Shane!
LeftField
04-12-01, 03:40 PM
Too bad he will be riding the bench if he comes back to the Bronx.
Keep on keepin' on Shane, with all the twist and turns in a baseball career, who knows you might be a starting left or right fielder again. Just like you were before your injury. Best of luck to ya! Sweet Jesus knows you could use some!
Two infield singles means that the knee is feeling way better.
I was starting to forget about Shane Spencer! With things the way they are now, would Shane and Chuck share the spot like Shane did with LeDee?
silverdsl
04-12-01, 04:05 PM
I think Knoblauch's the everyday left fielder unless he gets injured or goes into a major, major hitting slump. Michael Coleman has Spencer's spot with the Yankees and since he can't be sent down that presents quite a problem with Spencer. I guess they could send down Bellinger but that leaves them a utility infielder short.
-Deborah
Sillycon
04-12-01, 04:07 PM
That won't be the case because they want CK's bat at the top of the lineup everyday. Unfortunately, Shane will have a tough time cracking the lineup. At best, he might spell Paulie or Justice once in awhile to give them a rest. Other than that, the only place I see in the majors for him for the foreseeable future is on the bench.
He'll get his chances when is back in form. It is a long season.
Eddie160
04-12-01, 06:17 PM
Originally posted by Sillycon
That won't be the case because they want CK's bat at the top of the lineup everyday. Unfortunately, Shane will have a tough time cracking the lineup. At best, he might spell Paulie or Justice once in awhile to give them a rest. Other than that, the only place I see in the majors for him for the foreseeable future is on the bench.
well it shure looks that way since everyone has been playing good baseball though I think he will probably do alittle dh-and maybe some late inning action. who knows what will happen.
Shane needs to play every day right now. If he gets promoted, he's going to see virtually no action until someone gets injured. I consider him right now to be an insurance policy if one of the outfielders has an extended stay on the DL. If that doesn't happen, he may be trade bait later this year.
I really like Shane Spencer, he works really hard at what he does. I hope that earns a spot on the roster. Good luck, Shane! :)
madforyanks
04-12-01, 08:10 PM
A lot of newspaper reports are saying Shane will be optioned to Columbus. But that can't be true. He's out of options, having spent three years on the 40-man (and, for parts of them, 25-man) roster. They might d.l. him for a long period. But even to trade him for anything worth having, the Yankees have to show he can still play in the majors. I hope he comes back up when he's ready and wins some kind of slot.
i never liked spencer, but i starting to feel bad for him. all these wierd things always come up, he really hasnt gotten a decent stretch of time to really prove himself
Elfdood
04-12-01, 10:16 PM
I wouldn't be surprised if the Yankees traded Spencer for a minor league journeyman starter who could provide a bit more stability to their number five spot than any of the current threesome of farmhands. If they find a team particularly desperate for a right-handed outfielder with some pop, they could even squeeze a legitimate prospect or established starter for him.
Trading Spencer is a low-risk proposition, because he doesn't have the upside of Ricky Ledee or Michael Coleman. On the doorstep of 30 years old and with one bad knee, he's pretty much reached the summit of his playing ability, and while he could certainly have a few very productive years, he's never going to be a big star.
Coleman is a similar player, he's five years younger, and although he has an injury history, he's <I>currently</I> more healthy than Spencer. I think Gehrig and Bub are on the mark - Cashman will be shopping Spencer around.
Elfdood,
Sad but true...you may be right on this one.
:cool: :smokin: :cool:
Luvtino
04-12-01, 10:42 PM
Shane will probably get playing time to prove he is healthy
and I do think he will be traded at some point this year. He could stay on the team and fill a role much like Coleman does now, but I doubt it. Too many players doing the same thing. I think we will get some relief help for him when the time comes.
1TonHumanHamsterWheel
04-12-01, 11:38 PM
It'll be good to see Spencer back on the team. I'll definitely have to see him in action in Columbus.
But although I don't like to say it, I think Spencer mayu be traded by the end of the season, especially now that Chuck has really cemented himself in LF and Coleman is having a Spencer-like breakthrough. Shane'll have to play better than Coleman to get back on the roster.
penguin4
04-13-01, 12:15 AM
I love Spence, but I hate to think I'm agreeing with Hamster, et al. He's been Todd Hundley'd. Can perform, is fully capable of performing, just unluckily injured, and thus replaced. With Chuck in the outfield, where does he fit into the picture? So he comes back, splits time with Michael Coleman, as the backup LFer (providing no one else gets injured ::knock wood:: ), the two of them dual it out, and in the end, one of them walks on July 31. I have a sinking feeling that it'll be Spencer, unfortunately, because he could bat .500, people would still call him Kevin Maas. (And don't forget, H-Rod, the experienced, but aging, veteran, is waiting in the wings, too, to complicate things further eventually...) Coleman's a bit younger, and I don't think the Yankees would just acquire him to trade him away... at least not so soon. So long as he maintains his swing, I think they'll keep him; as cheap as Shane is, Coleman is probably cheaper, too, this being his first year.
Shane's history also precedes him. After he got over all those problems in 1999, the Yankees just weren't playing him so he really had no chance to get into a groove coming off the bench as a pinchhitter all the time, and his average suffered for it. I fear the same here.
Sad thing is, Shane can play and has played all 9 positions (he even pitched in the minors!). He's a franchise player, and shown what he could do, and if Chuck were still at second base, I'd say he had a very good shot...
Although, funny, Spence has a way of beating the odds, however how long. Something might come of it... till then, no matter how futile the cause, he has my utmost support.
Connie Cuomo
04-13-01, 12:41 AM
I do not think Spencer is trade bait. This is a long season and I think the yankees had plenty of chances to dump him and did not. He is no good as trade bait because he has not played since last year. I hope he come back strong. Unlike some of the people in this forum, I think he deserves his chance. I think the Yankees owe him that much.
I think Spencer can be a good player in this league.But there is no room for him here.
If they cant find room for him,I would hope the Yankees would trade him somewhere where he could play everyday,which is what he needs.Badly.
Luvtino
04-13-01, 01:18 AM
Being traded isn't necessarily a bad thing for Shane as he will not be an everyday guy for us and is capable of being a daily player. I think he would be a nice addition to some teams out there and no doubt someone will be very happy to get Shane if he is indeed traded. Nice guy and I'd love to see him have a great career whether it is with us or not.
The Yankees will not trade Spencer. He is a favorite of Zimmer and Gene Michael. These guys still have a lot of pull. He will get his chances. DH or Right field against lefties, and fill in for Chuck if Chuck's production continues to be null.
Elfdood
04-13-01, 10:22 AM
Originally posted by penguin4
So long as he maintains his swing, I think they'll keep him; as cheap as Shane is, Coleman is probably cheaper, too, this being his first year.Well, Spencer is only making $320,000 this season, $120,000 more than Coleman. You know, that's just a measly 120 grand to Big Stein and his deep pockets. But Spencer is much closer to his arbitration years, so Coleman is cheaper long term. Unless he keeps hiting like this, in which case I guess the Yankees wouldn't mind paying him. :)
I think he's gonna be trade bait.
I'm gonna try to catch the Clippers game tomorrow. :)
I like Spencer a lot. However, with Knobby playing a more than adequate left field ( he'll only get better as the season goes on) and Soriano's bat and glove at second, and don't forget about Bellinger, Spencer is worth more to the Yanks as Trade bait.
I don't want to see Spencer traded but their seems to be no real role for him on the team.
b-ball-lunachick
04-13-01, 03:28 PM
I have never been a big fan of Spencer's, but I'm glad he's improving and I wish him well...this is a tough injury to recover from, and I think by the time he makes a full recovery and is back up, provided someone else isn't injured -- he'll probably end up trade bait. I'll wish him luck, but won't be too upset about it...
b-ball-lunachick
04-13-01, 04:15 PM
Torre just said on the FAN that if Spencer continues to rehab well, he would be back with the team in about 3 weeks...then he'll have some decisions to make...
madforyanks
04-13-01, 11:05 PM
I heard the interview, too, and I thought Torre sounds like he hopes he'll find a place on the team for Shane. I think he likes his effort and attitude. As for trading him for a journeyman pitcher, Torre pretty much said that if Parker and Keisler don't get it together, Mendoza will end up back in the rotation. He said he wants to hold him to 70 pitches, which he calculated might be hard on the pen. IMHO it's a lot better than what he's been seeing lately, and the way Mendoza pitched tonight 70 pitches is 7-8 innings.
Anyway, back to Shane, it will be difficult to trade him for anything of value unless he comes back and shows he can play in the majors. And I'm far from convinced there's no place from him. Isn't Coleman also supposed to be terribly fragile? Wasn't he out much of last year with injuries? And he's already out again.
curse forever
04-13-01, 11:09 PM
Forget that hot head bearded ex Red Sox Everrett look alike Michael Coleman. Shane Spencer is our real 4th outfielder. Looking foward to your return Shane.
Luvtino
04-13-01, 11:24 PM
Only time will tell. I like Shane, but barring an injury (God forbid) I don't see him playing daily. 4th o/f...yes.
When he is ready they can just send Seabol down. HRod is where it gets crowded. Should be interesting. Having too many options is never a bad thing.
madforyanks
04-14-01, 09:35 AM
It's morning and I'm more awake. One additional observation: Joe Torre likes Shane a lot, and Stick Michael really loves him. In fact, there were press reports this winter that Joe Torre agreed to give Spencer 500 at-bats last season in return for Michael's support in keeping Mendoza a Yankee. I wonder if Michael views that deal as still in effect? At any rate, there's going to be a lot of pressure to keep Shane in pinstripes once he gets back.
I really think he's a much more valuable player than Henry Rodriguez; for one thing, assuming he's healthy, he's a good defensive corner outfielder. Unfortunately, he's not a lefty. But if Coleman is healthy and Shane is healthy, there are two back up outfielders. Coleman is a switch hitter, so with him and Shane the Yankees would still have lefty power off the bench. And maybe for Rodriguez, the Yankees could get a spare middle reliever, preferably one with an option left.
# 21 Forever
04-14-01, 06:36 PM
I'm sorry that Shane won't be playing with the Yanks for awhile. On the other hand I may get a chance to see him play right here in Rochester when Columbus comes to play the Red Wings.
longtimeyankeefan
04-14-01, 07:12 PM
Originally posted by madforyanks
A lot of newspaper reports are saying Shane will be optioned to Columbus. But that can't be true. He's out of options, having spent three years on the 40-man (and, for parts of them, 25-man) roster. They might d.l. him for a long period. But even to trade him for anything worth having, the Yankees have to show he can still play in the majors. I hope he comes back up when he's ready and wins some kind of slot.
I've read in a number of places that Spencer still has an option left - I believe that it is probably due to the fact that he spent the better part of last season on the DL.
Apparently, his situation is similar to the often misreported situation with Donzell McDonald.
jk
Connie Cuomo
04-14-01, 11:01 PM
Shane Spencer will be with the yankees for a while. Either in right or left field.
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