Derek Jeter will not attend Yankees’ season opener

After dedicating the first four decades of his life to baseball and spending all 23 years of his professional career in the New York Yankees organization, one might assume that Derek Jeter would make an appearance at the team’s April 6 season opener against the Toronto Blue Jays.

This is why we’re taught to never assume anything.

According to Bryan Hoch on MLB.com, the former Yankees captain doesn’t figure to be anywhere near the Stadium on that date as he continues adjusting to life after baseball and focusing on new ventures that will set the stage for his next four decades.

“I think actually I’ll be out of the country,” Jeter told SiriusXM on Saturday, when asked where he’d be for the Yanks’ opener.

In an interview launching a new weekly satellite radio show dedicated to his venture, “The Players’ Tribune,” Jeter reiterated his desire to enjoy some distance from the game as he begins his first full year of retirement.

“I need to get away,” Jeter said. “I’ve been playing this game professionally for parts of 23 seasons, so I need to get away from it.”

Getting away means different things to different people. For Jeter, it obviously means more than just getting away from the daily grind. It means setting the game aside so he can focus elsewhere and explore a bit. 

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Of course, that doesn’t mean he won’t show up from time to time, but Hoch says there are Yankees people who don’t even expect to see him at spring training this year, even though he also lives in Tampa.

We’ll see if that holds up, but he has definitely put in the time and earned the right to do whatever he pleases. He doesn’t owe anybody anything.

It’s not like the media needs that story  either. With the Alex Rodriguez circus coming to town, C.C. Sabathia returning and the storyline surrounding whether Didi Gregorius or someone else can replace Jeter at shortstop, there’s plenty to focus on already. Not that Jeter would get lost in the shuffle, but there will be a time and a place when he’s ready for his return to the Stadium, and when it happens he will be the unquestioned headliner.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813