Greg Bird played in a second extended spring training game Tuesday in Florida and went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs. Bird is coming back from ankle surgery in late March.
“I know he felt really strong [Tuesday]. He is moving in a really good direction. Probably any day now he will get assigned to whether we start him in [Single-A] Tampa or send him right to [Triple-A] Scranton,’’ manager Aaron Boone said. “He is moving in the right direction. Now it’s just how his rehab process goes, how he is bouncing back each day. Hopefully it’s not too long before he is back with us.’’
Jacoby Ellsbury’s latest setback cost him a day of work in Tampa when, according to Boone, the center fielder was “under the weather.’’
“He was sent home [Monday] but he is fairly healthy,’’ Boone said of Ellsbury, who started the season on the DL with a strained right oblique muscle. Since then he has been diagnosed with a hip issue and plantar fasciitis. “Hopefully he is getting to the point where we can start thinking about getting him into games. I think that is a little ways off but he is doing baseball stuff.’’
As of late Tuesday afternoon, Domingo German hadn’t heard from MLB regarding him writing the name of his hometown on his hat for Sunday’s major league debut. MLB frowns on such actions but usually warns young players before issuing a fine.
“It goes back to when I was a kid I used to tell people when I make my debut as a [big-league] starter I would pay tribute to the town,’’ German said through a translator. “I wanted to show if you work hard you can become somebody.’’
German, who didn’t allow a hit or a run in six innings against the Indians in his first major league game, wrote “A-Bass’’ on that hat. He said he is from Alejandro Bass, a small town in the Dominican Republic.
Boone believes the Yankees playing the Red Sox in London next June will leave a mark on the participants.
“It’s a chance to spread our game and that is awesome. To have this rivalry going over there to promote our game, the amount of young star players that exist on both clubs, hopefully our guys will always take it with them,’’ Boone said of the two-game series at London Stadium next June 29-30. The Red Sox will be the home team in both games. “Hopefully it will continue to grow our game, a game that we love.’’
The games will be the first time MLB plays a game in Europe and there is an agreement for MLB to return in 2020. The teams for that haven’t been announced.
“To have the opportunity to participate in this historic baseball endeavor and showcase our game in London is something our entire organization is thrilled to be a part of,’’ Hal Steinbrenner said. “Bringing these storied teams together for British fans — who have such a profound appreciation for sports at the highest level — only adds to the unique allure of one of the world’s greatest sporting rivalries. We expect an exciting and intense pair of games and appreciate the significance of representing our sport in such a meaningful way.”
New Knicks coach David Fizdale threw out the ceremonial first pitch. His pitch looked a lot like what is ahead for Fizdale: It took forever to get home.
