Chavez Breaks Bone in Foot

DETROIT -- Eric Chavez had embraced his role as a lefty pinch-hitter and reserve corner-infielder for the Yankees and, because he was finally healthy, he was producing at the plate.
Now, once again, a setback.
Chavez suffered a small fracture on the fifth metatarsal of his left foot while legging out a triple in the fourth inning of Thursday's 6-3 loss to the Tigers and will be placed on the 15-day disabled list. Chavez wasn't available for comment after the game because he took the first flight back to New York and is scheduled to visit team doctors on Friday.
"That's a big blow for us," said Alex Rodriguez, for whom Chavez was filling in at third base on Thursday. "Eric has been in great shape. He was swinging the bat extremely well from the minute he stepped here in camp, he's been working extremely hard and obviously, he provided a lot of depth for our team."
Chavez's first triple since 2007 came off Rick Porcello and tied the game at 1, but he pulled up lame to third base and, after being checked out by manager Joe Girardi and assistant athletic trainer Steve Donohue, came out of the game.
The Yankees will announce a corresponding move from Texas on Friday.
"I felt bad for him," Girardi said, "because, you know, he's been through these injuries, and as well as he's been playing, it's frustrating."
The fifth metatarsal is the long bone on the lateral part of the foot that connects to the little toe. The Yankees previously saw backup catcher Francisco Cervelli suffer a broken left foot and miss close to eight weeks.
One option to fill Chavez's spot could be Jorge Vazquez, who impressed during Spring Training and has been hitting well at Triple-A. But the right-handed hitter isn't on the Yankees' 40-man roster, so a corresponding move would have to be made if New York purchased Vazquez's contract.
A couple of corner-infield options on the 40-man roster are the switch-hitting Ramiro Pena and Brandon Laird, a right-handed hitter.
Chavez was one of the best third basemen in the league from 2001-06, winning six consecutive American League Gold Glove Awards and an AL Silver Slugger Award. But injuries limited him to just 154 games over the last four seasons and led to five operations since September 2007, including three on his shoulder and two on his back.
After signing a Minor League contract with the Yankees in February -- one that gave him $1.5 million if he made the big league roster -- Chavez was batting .290 with a .405 on-base percentage through his first 16 games, while also giving the Yankees some flexibility with Rodriguez's playing time at third base.
But the Yankees will have to do without him for a while.
"He was frustrated," Girardi said of Chavez. "As a manager, you tell him, 'You're going to be back; you're going to get through this.' But I don't know how much that means right at this moment, as you're playing well and you're doing what you love to do and you go through this."