Girardi: Yanks will keep close eye on Jeter

ST. PETERSBURG -- Derek Jeter is expected to be in the Yankees' clubhouse for Monday's game against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, and manager Joe Girardi said that there is little time to work the captain in slowly.

Games are at a premium with just a little over a month remaining on the schedule, so while the Yankees will again tell Jeter to take it easy on his right calf whenever possible, they are also expecting results quickly following his Minor League rehab stint at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

"He has played three days in a row. From everything I understand, he felt pretty good," Girardi said. "I don't know if we can afford to be apprehensive."

Including Saturday's game, Jeter went 3-for-9 with two runs scored, a double, one RBI and a walk in his three games during his latest stint at Triple-A. Girardi said that he was told Jeter "ran under control," meaning short of 100 percent.

"I'll talk to him," Girardi said. "I'll talk to our people and see how he ran down there. We'll see. He's still going to have to be smart."

Girardi said that he had not yet spoken to general manager Brian Cashman, but it is likely that the Yankees will trim a pitcher from their roster to create room for Jeter. New York is carrying 13 pitchers after recalling right-hander Preston Claiborne to replace the injured Jayson Nix last week.

In what he has described as a "nightmare" season, Jeter has played in just five big league games due to left ankle, right quadriceps and right calf injuries. He injured his right quadriceps on July 11 in his first game back following the ankle injury, then felt the strain his calf soon after returning from the quad strain on July 28.

"We're just going to go day by day, and see what I see the night before, and make the decision the next day," Girardi said.