Yanks strive for 'business as usual' at workout
TAMPA, Fla. -- More than a dozen Yankees players, along with several coaches and other staff members, showed up at the complexes at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Saturday morning for some unofficial workouts, much as they would before the start of Spring Training.
Infielders took ground balls on the back fields. Outfielders -- on the main playing surface -- ran defensive drills in the grass. Pitchers, if they were scheduled, threw their bullpen sessions or played catch. Hitters took batting practice indoors.
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The Yankees are doing their best to make the abnormal as normal as possible.
“Pretty weird. It’s pretty strange,” Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza told reporters from his car through his passenger-side window as he departed the facilities just before noon. “Obviously, it’s a difficult situation, but we are trying our best to do what we can.”
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Major League Baseball suspended Spring Training operations on Friday, outlining three options for players: remain at their spring sites, head to their respective regular-season cities or return to their homes (or any other destination). The Yankees decided -- by unanimous clubhouse vote on Friday -- to remain in Tampa for the foreseeable future.
“We have a shot at a World Series title,” reliever Zack Britton told MLB.com on Friday. “We want to be prepared to seize that opportunity.”
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Coaches are sticking around just the same, offering physical support during workouts and emotional aid through the uncertainty that extends far beyond Yankees camp. The club is seeking to maintain its routine and normalcy as much as it can. For some, baseball is a welcome distraction.
“We are going to support [the players], and that’s our job,” Mendoza said. “We’ll see [where] this situation will take us. Every day it looks like it changes, so who knows what’s going to happen?
“We are just waiting to see what happens above us. As of right now, it’s like business as usual.”