Shortstop Derek Jeter has returned to the baseball diamond for the first time since being carried off one last October with a broken ankle.
Jeter, 38, fielded 55 ground balls at the Yankees’ Minor League complex in Tampa, Fla. Monday, according to the Associated Press. He also hit in the batting cage. However, Jeter didn’t do any running just yet. For now, he has been walking on an underwater treadmill.
Jeter said he usually begins his baseball activites for the season around this time of year anyway regardless of injury, so his presence in the Opening Day lineup should still be expected. “Everything went well,” Jeter told the AP.
The next hurdle for injured Yankee stars will be when Mariano Rivera reports to camp and starts preparing for the season after major knee surgery. Pitchers and catchers report two weeks from tomorrow.
