Curtis Granderson’s Return Could Turn The New York Yankees Season Around

Tomorrow night may be a bit of a new day in this season for the New York Yankees. The Yankees will be getting back one of their injured sluggers. Not that third base guy.  With the return of Curtis Granderson, the Yankees lineup gets the power bat it so desperately needs. It won’t be a quick and easy fix. Granderson will need time to get acclimated again, however, his bat will be a big boost offensively and defensively.

May 16, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Curtis Granderson (14) during batting practice before the start of a game against the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

With the return of Granderson, Alfonso Soriano can be the primary DH, and Vernon Wells can be the reserve outfielder. Wells did a good job in the beginning, but he’s better coming off the bench and playing every so often.

The Yankees only trade before the deadline was for Soriano, but the next biggest upgrade a team could make offensively was getting back Granderson. Having him hit fifth in the lineup behind Soriano and ahead of Lyle Overbay and Ichiro Suzuki deepens the lineup and gives the Yankees a presence they haven’t had all season.

The question may actually be how he handles it defensively. He’ll be an upgrade in leftfield over Soriano, but he hasn’t played a ton out in left. It will be interesting to see how he handles the transition as he makes his return.

The Yankees biggest problem is scoring runs and Granderson may be just the elixir they need to fix this problem. Whether they get an additional boost from a certain third baseman remains to be seen.