Eric Wedge on Brendan Ryan: ‘You can’t just be an out’
May 12, 2012, 3:32 PM | Updated: 5:54 pm
By Shannon Drayer
Eric Wedge is a very patient man but it would appear his patience has been pushed to the brink by his shortstop. When asked why Brendan Ryan was out of the lineup Saturday, Wedge answered, “He needs a day. I need a day.”
With Dustin Ackley hitting leadoff and Ichiro third, Ryan was pretty much the only option Wedge had at two if he wanted to avoid hitting three lefties in a row.
“I have been trying to give him an opportunity in the two hole,” Wedge said before the game. “I prefer to have a right hander in between those two left handers, but with Figgins in a different role, Gutierrez not here and Ryan’s not getting it done my options are limited, man. There is a good chance we are going to have to run some left handers through.”
With Ryan out John Jaso hit second Saturday. With a lefty on the hill for the Yankees Sunday there is a good chance Ryan will be back in there. His break and Wedge’s break for that matter will most likely be for just one game for now. If Ryan does not produce at the plate and soon, however, there could be changes. Wedge issued his strongest words this side of Chone Figgins about a player’s performance that we have heard this season.
“He has got to be able to defend himself at home plate, which he didn’t do last night,” he said. “He’s got to be able to go up there and compete. You just can’t be an out. There are limits to it, without a doubt.”
The work with Ryan has been put in but he fails to take it to the field. He hasn’t been able to stick to any sort of plan at the plate and is quick to look for other answers when he doesn’t get results. This appears to be a source of frustration for Wedge.
“There is no reason he shouldn’t be better than that unless he is just totally swimming in his own brain up there, making it more difficult for himself,” Wedge said. “That’s exactly what he is doing right now.
“He’s not seeing the ball, he’s pulling off, he’s not putting himself in a good position to cover the plate. He knows all this. He’s not 25 years old. He’s 30 years old. It is time for him to figure out what he needs to do to be successful. I can’t be any more honest than that.”
