It has been a long road back for Derek Jeter, his broken ankle and the New York Yankees as a whole, but after suffering yet another injury, is it now time to expect Jeter's body to start failing him on a regular basis as a result of age?
His latest injury came on Thursday afternoon when the Yankees shortstop injured his quad muscle against the Kansas City Royals in a winning effort, per Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger:
Jeter's right quad tightened up in the sixth, which caused his early exit. He'll get an MRI later.There is a good possibility it could be nothing, of course, and Jeter himself thinks he can play tomorrow, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughSL) July 11, 2013
Yankees will have tests on Jeter, he thinks he'll play tomorrow. Girardi says "we'll see."While that might be very positive news in this situation, would you really expect anything less from a gamer like Jeter?
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) July 11, 2013
For the most part, Jeter has had a very healthy career and this season will be the first in his career since his rookie campaign back in 1995 that he will fail to play in at least 119 games. Granted, his missing most of this season was a result of last year's injury, but a new quad injury could keep him out even longer.
Age is the only sure thing in the career of an athlete. Age will always eventually catch up to every player, whether a star or not, and that's precisely what could be happening to Jeter at the moment. With an older body, injuries tend to spring up more often and are far harder and more time consuming to heal.
That's why writers like myself make such a big deal about the potential steroid exploits of a guy like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens.
While steroids may not be clean-cut cheating in its purest form to some, there's no denying that performance-enhancing drugs can keep an athlete in far better shape at an older age than most guys who do things the natural way.
Without getting into all that specifically, Jeter is human just like the rest of us and age will catch up to him also. That may not mean that Jeter's average will dip necessarily or that he'll be any less of a player on the field right now, but it could mean his body will simply never be the same again.
Like a dip in his performance, age catching up to The Captain is inevitable. If this latest injury isn't the sign that this is happening, it's just a matter of time before we see something that's off with Jeter in his performance or physical well-being.
Consider this scenario at least eventually becoming the new normal for Jeter until his days in the majors are over. In turn, that could turn Jeter into a more part-time fielder as opposed to the team's everyday shortstop.
It's just a reality that Yankee and baseball fans in general will have to come to terms with at some point. It's the same reality that will keep Jeter from reaching Pete Rose's all-time hits record, which was a mark some thought Jeter could reach with longevity that seemed endless only a year ago.
I'm not ready to seal the deal on Jeter's career just yet in regards to his body, but clearly something isn't right with him at this point. Instead of worrying about which records Jeter will break, baseball fans need to just hope that he can stay on the field for the foreseeable future as his career continues to wind down.
A baseball generation without a consummate professional like Jeter seems impossible to accept, but it's a very harsh dose of reality that will be realized sooner rather than later and Jeter has nothing but age to thank for that.
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