Derek Jeter hits 250th career home run

Derek Jeter’s liner to left field in the fifth inning Friday off Franklin Morales was his 250th career home run. He moved into fifth place all-time among players who have played at least half of their games at shortstop:

1. Alex Rodriguez – 644
2. Cal Ripken Jr. – 431
3. Miguel Tejada – 304
4. Robin Yount – 251
5. Derek Jeter – 250
6. Jose Valentin – 249
7. Vern Stephens – 247
8. Nomar Garciaparra – 229
9. Barry Larkin – 198
10. Jay Bell – 195

Jeter will likely finish his career third on the that list, considering that A-Rod’s tenure at third base is set to overtake his time at shortstop next year.

Jeter also moved into a tie for ninth place on the Yankees’ all-time home run list:

1. Babe Ruth – 659
2. Mickey Mantle – 536
3. Lou Gehrig – 493
4. Joe DiMaggio – 361
5. Yogi Berra – 358
6. Alex Rodriguez – 299
7. Bernie Williams – 287
8. Jorge Posada – 275
9. Derek Jeter – 250
9. Graig Nettles – 250

Matt Ehalt of The Record reports that the Mariners may have some interest in acquiring second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera from the Mets. The club hasn’t confirmed anything of the kind, naturally, but the prevailing thought is that they’ll need some insurance at second base if they reach the playoffs, since Cano’s current 80-game suspension precludes him from participating in any postseason series.

On Friday, club GM Jerry Dipoto revealed that Cano will likely return to the team as a first baseman once his suspension expires, while second baseman/outfielder Dee Gordon is slated to remain at the keystone for the foreseeable future. With the infield all but set in stone, however, Dipoto said that acquiring position players at this year’s deadline isn’t likely to be a “primary concern,” especially as the team focuses on strengthening their pitching staff prior to making a run at the postseason.

Still, there’s a case to be made for Cabrera. The 32-year-old second baseman has already improved on some of last year’s totals and is currently batting .282/.335/.492 with 17 home runs (16 more than Gordon has tallied so far in 2018), 21 doubles and an .827 OPS in 385 plate appearances. He could provide some much-needed support behind Gordon until Cano’s suspension lifts on August 14; following the end of the 2018 season, he’s scheduled to enter the free agent pool for 2019.