NEW YORK -- The Seattle Mariners won't have to worry about the big bat of
Jose Canseco lurking in the late innings of this ALCS.
The Yankees, in a mildly surprising move, left the oft-injured DH off the
roster for this round in favor of middle reliever Jason Grimsley.
Canseco, who has belted 446 lifetime homers and used to be one of the
premier players in the game, has been betrayed by a broken-down body in
recent years.
The 36-year-old Canseco hit just .243 for the Yankees with six homers and
19 RBI in 111 at bats after being claimed off waivers from the Devil Rays
on Aug. 7.
At the time he was acquired, manager Joe Torre had a hard time showing
any enthusiasm thanks to a roster that was already loaded with left field/DH
types.
Torre did try and get Canseco into the mix, but his bat -- and his ailing
legs -- never responded.
Despite being healthy enough to DH or pinch hit, Canseco never got off
the bench in the division series against Oakland. He has admitted that he
isn't a good bench player and that he's unable to stay sharp when he's not
in the lineup every day.
"It wasn't easy to do," said Yankees manager Joe Torre. "Jose, unfortunately
is a regular player and he's not as used to coming off the bench as
Glenallen Hill is. Jose feels that he could help the club or some club, and
you know I agree with him. But here, it was tough to try to get him in there
consistently because of all the people we had used in the designated hitter
role."
The bottom line is that the Yankees need another reliever more than
they needed a slumping DH. Especially since Torre has been forced to move
second baseman Chuck Knoblauch -- a defensive liability -- to the DH slot.
Canseco, who could be activated for the World Series if the Yankees make
it, was diplomatic.
"I've never been in this position before," Canseco said, "but it's
probably the right move right now. I kind of figured it could happen. I
didn't start against Baltimore the last series of the season, and I didn't
play against a left-hander against Oakland. I've been around this game a
long time. I've seen a lot of things. I'm a guy with a lot of ability and I
can help the team, but it's not my decision."
