The Yankees have considered Johnny Damon in their search for a designated hitter and/or bench hitter, but they fear his quest for a career milestone. Damon is just 277 hits shy of 3,000 for his career. Executives from three teams that had interest in Damon expressed concerns a fixation with 3,000 has diminished his patient approach at the plate. Damon's batting average dropped 10 points from 2010 to 2011, but his on-base average fell a more dramatic 29 points to .326 from .355 - his career average entering last year.