Due to a family issue, The Yankees granted Aroldis Chapman permission to be excused from spring training camp today. This is the second time this spring that Chapman has been excused due to a family issue.
According to the Yankees, his absence has no involvement in the domestic violence case that is being investigated by Major League Baseball.
The Yankees have revealed that outfielder Brett Gardner has been dealing with a bone bruise in his left wrist. The injury occurred during the Wild Card game against the Astros while running into a wall when attempting to make a catch.
Brian Cashman, the Yankees General Manager talked about Gardner today with reporters.“I know he feels good, we are taking it slow,’’ Cashman said. “Spring training is long enough, we don’t have to be rushing. The CT scan showed a bone bruise. It’s going in the right direction. At this point, taking the safe route.’’
Gardner took about 50 swings in the indoor batting cage today, however he is not scheduled to take batting practice tomorrow.
Jacoby Ellsbury reported to camp today, along with the rest of the position players, and was greeted by reporters who couldn't wait to ask him questions about the upcoming season, as well as last season.
The last time Ellsbury was in pinstripes was when he was left out of the Wild Card game after Joe Girardi ultimately decided to go with Brett Gardner in the starting lineup. When asked about the decision, Ellsbury had no hard-feelings towards his manager. "I talked to Joe that day," Ellsbury said. “I talked to him on the field and he knows how bad I want to play, and he knows how much time I put into playing to be the player that I am. We left it at that."
He was also asked about his time spent on the disabled list last year and if he was ever back to 100%.
“Obviously I knew my team needed me to play. When I came back, you convince yourself that you’re 100 percent, you’re ready to go. I thought I was pretty close, but it wasn’t until the offseason when I started working out, training, getting back, maybe I wasn’t where I thought I was. But you don’t have time for that during the season to wait to get there. I tried to get back as soon as I could, but it wasn’t really until the offseason when I started working out. Now I feel 100 percent.”
The Yankees look to Ellsbury as a key contributor to their offense. When Ellsbury is getting on base and scoring runs, the Yankee lineup is one of the best in the American League East.
The Yankees have finally signed their first free agent. According to his own Instagram account, first basemen Chris Parmelee has reached an agreement with the Yankees. There has been no announcement by the Yankees yet.
Parmelee was a member of the Baltimore Orioles last season where he hit .216 over 102 plate appearances. With the injury to Greg Bird over the offseason, Parmelee will fill a spot on the depth chart and potentially be used as a backup to Mark Teixeira.
The long wait is over and the day has finally come. Baseball is back! Pitchers and catchers have reported to camp and position players will officially report of February 24th. As always there will be a lot of buzz down in Tampa, Florida. With new arrival Aroldis Chapman making his Yankees debut to Alex Rodriguez looking to match his incredible season last year, there will be a lot to cover this Spring Training.
As always we will keep you updated with the latest spring training news, as well as our predictions for the upcoming season.