Yankees News & Notes: ARod surgery, Canzler claimed, Dickerson DFA

It’s been a semi-busy weekend for the New York Yankees. General Manager Brian Cashman revealed a little more information on Alex Rodriguez’s upcoming surgery. Also, the Yankees claimed Russ Canzler off waivers from the Cleveland Indians, and in a corresponding move, designated Chris Dickerson for assignment. So let’s tackle these one at a time.

See you in June, hopefully (Image: William Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports)

Cashman said in a recent Newsday article from Anthony Rieber that ARod is on schedule for his hip surgery, and hasn’t suffered any setbacks:

"“We have a tentative date, but I’m not going to reveal it.”"

He added that ARod had about four to six weeks of “pre-rehabilitation” in order to set himself up for surgery, and won’t be back until midseason, barring any setbacks. The June return is nothing new for Yankees fans, it’s what they’ve been hearing all offseason, but at ARod’s age, he could very well take a while to return, and he returns to a form that could benefit this ball club.

Meanwhile, ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted that the Yankees claimed Russ Canzler off waivers from the Indians:

The leftfelder/first baseman has bounced around in recent months after being claimed by the Toronto Blue Jays, Indians, and now the Yankees. The 26-year-old hit .269/.299/.398 in 97 plate appearances with the Tribe last year, but also hit .265/.328 /.487 in 130 games for the team’s AAA-affiliate. Canzler definitely has some pop in his bat (.222 ISO in AAA) where he hit well throughout the minors where he only recorded one year of a sub-par wRC+ rating, last year he hit 124 wRC+. This move appears to provide recently signed Matt Diaz with some competition come Spring Training.

In a corresponding move, the Yankees designated outfielder, Chris Dickerson, for assignment. Dickerson has always been a victim of doing everything average, but never really had a tool that forced the Yankees to put him on the 25-man roster. Last year while with the AAA affiliate, he hit .316/.417/.515. Meanwhile, in 17 ABs in a September call-up, he hit .286/.412/.714. Those MLB numbers look gaudy, but consider the sample size and that he’s a career .266/.352/.407 hitter before passing too much judgment.

He’ll most likely be playing for another team in 2013, and sadly, the Yankees would have liked to keep him in their back pocket in case an injury occurred with the big league club. Dickerson can not only field, throw, and steal bags, but he can also hit for average. He seems to be a luxury at this point and the Yankees are looking for more right-handed power bats than lefties who hit for average and have some speed.

Stats courtesy of Fangraphs