Matsui Has Knee Drained

When Hideki Matsui was out of the line up on Saturday, I assumed he was just being given a night off against a lefty even though he's destroying southpaws this year. When he was out of the line up again on Sunday, I figured something was up - and there was. Just before game time it cmae out that Matsui was day-to-day with fluid on his left knee.

After the game came the news that Matsui had his knee drained during the game, and that it will keep him out of the line up tonight as well. Matsui had a similar procedure performed on the same knee in mid-April, but this is the first attention it's required since then. It's the same knee that was operated on last September. He had surgery on his right knee in 2007.

Matsui's knees have limited him to DH duty for the entirety of this season. He looks like an old man as he hobbles around the bases. Yet he's been a very valuable bat all year, hitting .266/.361/.509 (126 OPS+). The Yankee line up is much stronger with him than without him. Matsui claims that he isn't concerned about this latest situation given his recovery from the draining in April. I hope he's right; the Yanks will need him down the stretch.