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Hideki Matsui

8/7/2006

Matsui will have his injured left wrist re-examined Friday, at which time he could be cleared to intensify his workouts. Matsui is currently hitting off a tee with a mini-bat, one-handed with his right arm. He is also throwing in the outfield, but is having a second person catch the return throws for him.

7/24/2006

Matsui is making progress in his comeback from a broken left wrist but still isn't ready to take batting practice. Matsui took easy swings off a tee and during a soft toss session with a mini-bat during his second workout Monday at the Yankees' minor league complex. He also had a long toss session and fielded fly balls and grounders in the outfield.

7/21/2006

Matsui got a positive report on his broken left wrist on Thursday and could be cleared to take batting practice in Tampa Bay in a few days. The Yankees' left fielder sustained the injury diving for a ball on May 11 and underwent surgery. Matsui was examined on Thursday by Dr. Melvin Rosenwasser, who also performed the surgery, and he reported that the bones fused perfectly.

5/12/2006

Matsui broke his left wrist trying to make a sliding catch in the first inning of the Yankees' 5-3 loss to Boston Thursday night. His consecutive games streak ends at 518 games, as he hadn't missed one since joining the Yankees in 2003. His streak as a professional stalled at 1,768, as he had played 1,250 consecutive games with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan priot to moving to North America.

4/4/2006

Matsui opened the new season with a perfect 4-for-4 performance in New York's 15-2 win over the Oakland Athletics. The Yankees' left fielder singled three times, walked twice, stroked a solo homer and drove in four runs. He also scored twice.

11/15/2005

Matsui will stay in New York, agreeing to a four-year, $52 million contract extension with the Yankees on Tuesday. Reportedly he will make $13 million in each of the four years. The 31-year-old left fielder batted .305 with 45 doubles, 23 homers, 108 runs scored and 116 RBIs while playing 162 games in 2005.

6/28/2005

Matsui returned to the New York outfield Monday night, starting in left field with Tony Womack in center. The Yankees want to keep Matsui in left only, and have Womack share center with Bernie Williams.

6/27/2005

Matsui still isn't ready to return to New York's outfield following an ankle injury he suffered two weeks ago. When he is able to make the sharp cuts involved in outfield play, the 31-year-old veteran is expected to return to left field and stay there. The Yankees are thinking about moving Tony Womack to center, which he would share with Bernie Williams.

Matsui still hasn't returned to New York's outfield following an ankle injury he suffered two weeks ago. When he is able to make the sharp cuts involved in outfield play, the 31-year-old veteran is expected to play left field and stay there. The Yankees are thinking about moving Tony Womack to center, which he would share with Bernie Williams.

6/21/2005

Matsui participated in a light workout Monday to see if he's ready to return to the Yankees' outfield. The 31-year-old outfielder was fine going after the ball and catching it, but he's not 100-percent ready in terms of the sharp movements of pivoting and throwing. The earliest he will return to the Yankees' outfield is Wednesday.

6/20/2005

After going 1-for-4 with an RBI on Sunday, in the Yankees' 6-3 victory over the Cubs, Matsui has a 10-game hitting streak in which he is 15-for-35 (.429) with three homers and 12 RBI. He is 10-for-22 (.455) since taking over as the Yankees' DH six games ago.

6/19/2005

Yankee manager Joe Torre said that Matsui may be ready to return to the outfield. After spraining an ankle last Sunday, Matsui has played five games at designated hitter, going 9-for-18 in the role.

6/17/2005

Matsui must like the DH gig. After going 3-for-4 with a homer and five RBI in the Yankees' 9-6 win over the Cubs Friday night, Matsui is 8-for-15 (.533) with three longballs and nine RBI in four games of DH duty. The Yankees' outfielder isn't playing defensively while nursing an ankle injury he suffered on Sunday.

6/16/2005

Matsui, who was helped off the field after suffering an ankle injury on Sunday, will be the Yankees' designated hitter for "a while," according to New York manager Joe Torre. The length of Matsui's tenure as the DH is uncertain, but he's 4-for-7 with a double, homer and two RBI in his two nights of DH duty since he was injured.

6/15/2005

Despite being helped off the field Sunday after suffering an ankle injury, Matsui was back in the New York Yankees' lineup Tuesday. The Yankees' center fielder maintained his consecutive-games streak by playing in his 388th straight game for New York. He has played in 1,638 straight contests between the Yomiuri Giants and New York Yankees.

6/14/2005

Matsui slipped and fell while chasing Jim Edmonds' double during the seventh inning of New York's 5-3 loss at St. Louis on Sunday. The Yankees' left fielder injured his right ankle and was assisted from the field by manager Joe Torre and a trainer. An MRI exam on Monday revealed no serious damage to the ankle.

6/9/2005

Yankees manager Joe Torre tried to shake up his club with a number of moves Wednesday, and that included not having Matsui in the starting lineup. It's the first time the outfielder didn't start for New York since September 26, 2003. Matsui did pinch-hit in the game, so his streak of 384 consecutive games since arriving in North America stayed alive.

5/9/2005

After batting at a .323 clip with 13 RBI in his first 15 games this season, Matsui is now stuck in a .155 funk over his last 17 contests. The Yankees' left fielder has managed to drive in nine runs during his 17-game slide, but all of his hitting percentages are below .300 during his slump and he's not contributing much to a Yankees attempt to turn things around.

5/3/2005

In what may mark the end of Bernie Williams' tenure as the Yankees' center fielder, Matsui is being moved to center with Williams battling a sore throwing elbow that further compromises his defensive play. The rest of the Yankees' plan is to move second baseman Tony Womack to left to replace Matsui, and calling up second-base prospect Robinson Cano to take Womack's place in the infield.

Matsui has played center when Williams has been hurt. Matsui is batting .255 with seven doubles, three homers and 18 RBI in 26 games for the Yankees.

4/5/2005

Matsui connected for a two-run homer in the third inning of Tuesday's victory over the Boston Red Sox, notching his second longball in as many games. Through the first two contests of the 2005 campaign, the Yankees' left fielder is 6-for-9 with two home runs and five RBI.

Matsui saw the majority of his at-bats in the sixth and seventh spots in the batting order last season, but this year, he'll likely split time between fourth and fifth and should see better pitches. He finished the 2004 campaign batting .298 with 31 home runs and 108 RBI. The durable Matsui has not missed a game since making his major league debut in 2003.