Sweeny Says: Catching Up With Joe Girardi

By Sweeny Murti
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We knew several days ago that Gustavo Molina had jumped to the front of the line to back up Russell Martin in the Yankees' catching corps. That became pretty much official Monday when Jesus Montero and Austin Romine were sent back to the minors.

I say "pretty much official" because while Molina is the last man standing in this competition, there is always the possibility the Yanks pull off a trade or pick up a catcher cast off by another organization, and that's why they are waiting before officially adding Molina to the roster.

Here is Joe Girardi discussing his thoughts on why Montero and Romine are better served going back to the minors for more seasoning:

It was easy to tell that both young kids (Montero is 21, Romine is 22) were disappointed, but they said the right things, knowing that with continued improvement they will be in the big leagues sooner rather than later:

Meanwhile, Jorge Posada remains the Yankees' DH--he did not catch even one inning this spring. When asked about the possibility of using Posada behind the plate, Girardi reiterated that they think of him as their full-time DH, but also expressed a reluctance to put Posada back behind the plate due to the problems he had with concussions last year and their lasting effect.

In a pinch, I'm sure Posada can still put the gear on for them. But it's looking more and more likely that Posada has caught his last game for the Yankees.

Sweeny Murti
yankees@wfan.com
www.twitter.com/YankeesWFAN

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