As the Derek Jeter farewell tour comes to a close there has been speculation that the last game of the New York Yankees captain's career would be Thursday in the Bronx, but manager Joe Girardi said that he intends to play the shortstop in Boston this weekend.
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The Yankees visit Fenway Park for a three-game set with the Boston Red Sox, and with Boston already out of playoff contention and the Yankees tragic number down to one, it is likely that there won't be much to play for come Sunday -- the final day of Jeter's career.
Still, Girardi insists the plan is to play Jeter unless the five-time World Series champion doesn't want to play.
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"My plan is to play him," Girardi said per ESPN. "Obviously, if things happen and we are eliminated then obviously I'll talk to him on a daily basis. My plan is to play him. I'm going to talk to him to see what he physically needs and what he mentally wants."
Girardi said he'll let Jeter decide what he wants to do after closer Mariano Rivera sat out the Yankees' road trip to Houston last year during his last season after a memorable end to his career at Yankee Stadium the week prior..
"I thought [Mariano Rivera] was going to [play] center field in Houston," Girardi said. "Mo just kind of wanted it to end that way [at Yankee Stadium.] As long as we continue to be in, [Jeter] is going to play. If something were to happen and we weren't, I'm going to ask him and leave it to him."
Girardi said he believes that Jeter will want to play this weekend against the team's fiercest rival despite the fact that with both teams likely out of contention, a Yankees-Red Sox series in September lacks juice aside from Jeter's farewell storyline..
"Yes, he would," Girardi said. "My guess is he is going to want to play every day."
In his final season for the Yankees, Jeter is hitting .255/.303/.312 with 145 hits, four homers, 46 RBI and 46 runs.
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