Tulowitzki: 'I've been close, but I want a ring'

TAMPA, Fla. -- Over the past 1 1/2 years, injuries have forced Troy Tulowitzki to spend more time watching baseball than actually playing it. Throughout that unwanted respite, he frequently found himself clicking a remote control and checking on the Yankees, witnessing the rise of Aaron Judge and the rest of the "Baby Bombers."

"I've always been about winning and I know this is a good ballclub," Tulowitzki said on Wednesday. "I watched the whole year. Unfortunately, I didn't get to play last year, so I watched a lot of baseball and saw a lot of this team. They played some good baseball and came up just a little bit short. I want to help them finish it off with a championship."

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Due to heel and ankle injuries, Tulowitzki has not appeared in a Major League game since July 28, 2017, a fact that he intends to change in about a month. Signed for a league minimum contract of $550,000 following his December release from the Blue Jays, the Yankees intend to give Tulowitzki every opportunity to serve as their Opening Day shortstop.

"I feel like he's in a good place," manager Aaron Boone said. "First of all, he's in great shape. We worked him out pretty extensively before we signed him and felt really good about where he was physically, and that he's over some of the injuries that have plagued him over the last year and a half, two years."

The 34-year-old Tulowitzki piqued the Yankees' interest during a December showcase at Long Beach State University, from which scout JT Stotts submitted video and a glowing report. The Yankees then dispatched scouts Jay Darnell and Dan Giese to witness a second Tulowitzki workout, and the veteran evaluators came away convinced that they were looking at a big league player.

"I just want to play in some Spring Training games, you know?" Tulowitzki said. "All the rest of it would just be talk. I just want to play in Spring Training games, gain confidence and help these guys win."

As insurance, the Yankees signed infielder DJ LeMahieu to a two-year, $24 million contract. If Tulowitzki is healthy, LeMahieu could see time at second base, third base and shortstop; if not, Boone said that the plan is to shift Gleyber Torres to shortstop and have LeMahieu handle second base.

But the Yankees' first choice would be to have Tulowitzki in action, which is part of the reason that they agreed to give him a full no-trade clause.

"We'll try and be very vigilant as far as his schedule goes, communicating with him where he's at, trying to develop a plan that kind of evolves a little bit that we talk about almost daily," Boone said. "We've got to see how he bounces back. As we sit here right now, we're very optimistic about what Troy is going to bring."

Once rumored as a possible replacement for Derek Jeter as the Yankees’ shortstop, Tulowitzki's time in the role could be brief. Didi Gregorius, who ultimately did replace Jeter after his 2014 retirement, continues to take ground balls and throw, and the club believes that Gregorius could return from Tommy John surgery as early as June.

"I'm not worried about that," Tulowitzki said. "I'm worried about just doing the best job I can to fill in for Didi. Things work themselves out. I just want to do whatever I can to help this team win. Didi's a great player; I continue to say that. Watching him from the other side, he's come a long way since I was playing against him in Arizona. I hope he has a quick recovery."

In the meantime, Tulowitzki said that he is focused on the challenges ahead of him.

"I want a ring," he said. "I've done a lot of things in my career. That's one thing that's missing. I've been close, but I want a ring. That's what I'm excited for."