Yankees Place Derek Jeter On DL, End His Season

The Yankees have place all star shortstop Derek Jeter on the DL and have ended his season. The move puts the career of the future Hall of Famer in question.

Derek Jeter has played a total of 17 games this season. In that span he has hit a career low.190. This was not the season Jeter was hoping for at age 39.

It was the playoffs last year when Jeter broke his ankle. It was the first game of the ALCS while reaching for a ground ball. His rehab was progressing fine until he re-broke the ankle in the Spring. He began the 2013 season on the disabled list.

The 2013 season has turned into a disaster for Jeter and the Yankees. Still, he says any questions anyone has about the end of his career should be kept to themselves. In his own words:

“A lot of end talk here. You guys want this to be the end for me?”

Derek Jeter knows this trip to the DL is the end of his 2013 season. He continued:

“The entire year has been pretty much nightmare for me physically. It’s kind of fitting it ends like this, I guess. I’ll grab some pom poms and root for my teammates. I’ve had pom poms for a lot of this season already.”

Looking ahead to next season, Jeter plans to treat the offseason like any other. According to him the ankle is fine, he just needs to get strength back in his leg. He believes he should be full strength next season when he turns 40.

Jeter’s career might not be over, but is it possible he could play next year in another uniform? While it seems blasphemous to think, Jeter is at the end of his contract with the Yankees. He has an $8 million player option for the next season. He could elect free agency though.

Nobody panic, Derek Jeter will be a Yankee next season. It would be impossible to see him play in any other uniform. His trip to the DL is unfortunate, but it’s better to put him out of commission now and make sure he’s healthy next year at 40-years-old.

Do you think Derek Jeter should retire?

[image via Keith Allison | flickr]