Yankees get Matsui back, lose faith in Christian
Sports Network | August 19, 2008
Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - The New York Yankees activated outfielder/designated hitter Hideki Matsui from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday and optioned outfielder Justin Christian to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes- Barre.
After playing in three games for the Class A Tampa Yankees, Matsui had 15 simulated at-bats on Sunday in Tampa. The slugger's left knee, which has kept him sidelined since June 22, showed no signs of swelling after the workout.
As a precautionary measure, NY manager Joe Girardi said he will only use Matsui as a designated hitter for the rest of the season.
The 34-year-old Matsui aggravated the injury during New York's June 13-15 Interleague series at Houston, which also saw Yanks' ace Chien-Ming Wang go down -- potentially for the season -- with a foot injury.
Matsui is batting .323 with seven homers and 34 RBI in 69 games for the Yankees this season. He is also hitting a stellar .338 (22-for-65) with runners in scoring position.
In 40 at-bats this season for the Yankees, Christian had 10 hits, six RBI and scored six times.
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