Derek Jeter Cleared to Resume All Baseball Activities

Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter was seen walking without a limp Wednesday evening and Jeter said that he has been cleared to begin baseball activities four months after fracturing his ankle during the American League Championship Series in which the Yankees were swept by the Detroit Tigers, according to MLB.com.

Jeter will begin hitting and fielding sometime in the next two weeks but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has said that he won't be allowed to run "until the very back end of this."

A return by Jeter will be crucial to the Yankees, who had a quiet offseason and saw their starting right fielder Nick Swisher and starting catcher Russell Martin move on to the Cleveland Indians and Pittsburgh Pirates, respectively. Starting third baseman Alex Rodriguez is expected to be out of action until mid-July at the best, according to the New York Daily News. Rodriguez' age, the type of injury, and the specter of new performance enhancing drug allegations may combine to make A-Rod miss the entire season, while some speculate his career in the Bronx may be over.

Jeter, who will turn 39 during the 2013 season, batted .316 with 15 home runs and 58 RBI, and scored 99 runs in his 18^th season in the major leagues.

He admitted on Sunday morning that he originally injured the ankle in September, but decided to play on it until it broke in the ALCS, according to Newsday. Cashman said that the team was not aware that Jeter had a stress reaction in his ankle during the regular season, and couldn't pinpoint when the injury progressed. "If you can play, you play," Jeter said. "Like I've always told you before, I don't think you ever really talk about injuries, because then it's an excuse. I was told I was able to play, so I played. Unfortunately, it broke. But I would do the same thing over again if I had to," Jeter told Newsday.