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TAMPA — The dark clouds hovering over the Yankees briefly parted Sunday as Ben Hess took the mound.

The 2024 first-round pick made his first journey over from minor league camp to throw three “innings” of a live batting practice in which he faced the likes of Aaron Judge (whom he struck out) and Paul Goldschmidt.

No one made much hard contact.

Not a bad first introduction to major league hitters.