TAMPA — Gary Sanchez and Luke Voit were sent back across the state, as planned, following a game Wednesday in West Palm Beach, the first of two for the Yankees on the East Coast of Florida. Tyler Wade also returned to the Yankees home base after reporting hip tightness.
Greg Bird was pulled from the starting lineup Thursday after reporting to work still sore from being hit on his right elbow Wednesday.
That left just two regulars starting against the Cardinals in Jupiter — Gleyber Torres at second and Miguel Andujar at DH.
This is not a “got you” moment that the Yankees lacked the mandatory four regulars in the lineup for a road game, as dictated by MLB in an annual spring bulletin. Their intentions were to have Bird and Wade in Thursday’s lineup. The decree states that the four can include players with “a reasonable chance to be regulars on the Major League Club’s squad during the upcoming season,” a latitude that also could encapsulate Clint Frazier, who did play.
What this asserted was just how far Torres and Andujar have come. They were unquestioned Yankees starters. The Yankees already were in spring training in 2018 when they traded for Brandon Drury and signed Neil Walker, hedging against Andujar and Torres not being ready.
“Last year at this time, they were reassigned,” infield coach Carlos Mendoza said. “We were ready to break camp and they already were in the minors.”
Yet, both proved invaluable to a playoff team; Andujar finishing second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, Torres third. And they are not fringe now, but rather central to the Yankees’ intentions to repeat 100 wins and challenge 300 homers.
“We were never really concerned with the bat on either guy,” bench coach Josh Bard said. “It was, is Gleyber better at short or at second? Is Miggy going to get his footwork to the point where he is a good third baseman? There is a long way to go still. That is what is scary. These guys can be elite players and the needle is moving in the right direction.”
The belief in the players is reflected by who is and isn’t here. Drury was traded last July to help get J.A. Happ. Walker was not retained. The Yankees did sign DJ LeMahieu, but to serve as a frequently used rover and particularly help at second early when Torres needs to man short while Didi Gregorius rehabs after Tommy John surgery.
The Yankees dabbled with Manny Machado, seeing if he would go considerably shorter and less expensive than the 10-year, $300 million pact he ultimately signed with San Diego. They never gained much traction on a three-team deal in which Andujar perhaps would have ended up a Marlin and Noah Syndergaard a Yankee.
Ultimately, they doubled down that Andujar would improve defensively at third and Torres’ conditioning and concentration would improve, providing two high-ceiling infielders on low pre-arbitration contracts.
The Yanks had inside knowledge to feel optimistic about the duo. Torres did five-day-a-week training sessions at the minor-league complex. Andujar met with manager Aaron Boone and Mendoza in late October at the complex to go over a program to improve his setup and, thus, first defensive step, sent week-by-week video for their assessment and then was visited by the duo in the Dominican in January for three days of workouts at the Yankee academy.
In the two games on the East Coast of Florida, Torres was the Yankees’ best player. He is leaner and quicker, and made a sprawling, spinning play at short against the Astros. And the two games were filled with one mature plate appearance after another, there were two doubles, three walks and just greater command of the zone.
“He was reading ball out of the pitcher’s hand, no flinch,” Mendoza said.
For Andujar, there was a lowlight — a run-scoring throwing error Wednesday when he tried to turn a lineout into a double play and rushed a peg to first when there was really no play. But here is the good part: It was his first error this spring.
”His work ethic is second to none,” GM Brian Cashman said. “His commitment and willingness or desperation to be great has always been there, and that usually closes the gap on [improvement]. So far, outside of one play this spring, he has been really good.”
When the 2019 season begins, Torres, 22, and Andujar, 24, will again be the youngest Yankees. But quickly established players they are counting on.
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