ESPN Insider: Drew hesitant to return
Jun 6, 2012, 11:53 PM | Updated: Jun 7, 2012, 1:27 am
Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick has a lot on his plate these days: the benching of superstar Justin Upton and the under-performance of his team being chief among them entering the third month of the season.
You can add shortstop Stephen Drew to the list.
Kendrick criticized Drew Tuesday for not playing, feeling that the 29-year-old should be back in the lineup after breaking his ankle last July. Instead, Drew is just now starting with Triple-A Reno for rehab games.
On Arizona Sports 620, ESPN Baseball Insider Tim Kurkjian said, “Kendrick is frustrated like a lot of other people, but they have to get Drew healthy and he has to be really good if they want to make a run at the Dodgers or the Giants in this division.”
Many are questioning whether the wait is intentional as a result of agent Scott Boras. Critics of Boras believe he wants his client to be 100% healthy before he hits the market in free agency this upcoming offseason, a move that would explain Drew’s hesitancy toward returning to the lineup.
However, Kurkjian believes that Drew’s downtime is a result of “mostly Drew,” citing that as a young player, various veteran D-backs would have to force him out of the trainer’s room.
“He’s a tremendous talent, but is he going to be there every day when you need him,” asks Kurkjian. “Not sure if it’s going to help rushing him back.”
