I think Melky Cabrera has been put on notice. He's been pretty bad this year, and now he's been out of the starting lineup for four games straight. Justin Christian and Johnny Damon have been playing center field instead. Melky's being used like Bubba used to be: pinch-runner and LIDR.
The official story is that Melky is "banged up," but no one believes it. If he hasn't lost his job, he's been put on notice.
What bothers me most about Melky is that he hasn't improved. Well, his defense is better. But at the plate, he's gotten worse each year since 2006. That's the opposite of what you expect of a young player. Average, OBP, power...all going in the wrong direction.
I'm starting to wonder if Melky is one of those players who is difficult to coach. The way he repeatedly slides into 1B head-first drives me crazy. He should know better by now, and if he doesn't, surely the Yankees have told him. Yet he keeps doing it. Is he dense, or what?
Supposedly, the Yankees brass called him into the office during spring training 2006. They basically read him the riot act, telling him he wasn't progressing as fast as other players and he needed to try harder. It worked; Melky was on fire after that.
Maybe it's time to read him the riot act again.
