TAMPA — Yankees pitchers and catchers are set to report to spring training Wednesday and with it will come Aaron Boone’s first press conference of camp.
For the second time during his tenure, the Yankees’ manager is entering the final year of his contract, lining up with what is also a vital year for the team as it looks to rebound from a brutal 82-80 season in 2023.
Here are three of the questions that Boone might be answering on Wednesday:
Is everybody healthy?
This question won’t be going away anytime soon after the Yankees battled plenty of physical issues last season and their potential this year is highly dependent on staying healthy.
That is especially the case in their rotation, where Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes combined for just 127 ²/₃ innings last year and Marcus Stroman battled second-half injury issues after being named an All-Star.
Last year, Cortes strained his hamstring before arriving to camp and on report day, Boone revealed that Frankie Montas needed shoulder surgery.
Rodon and Luis Severino went on to get injured during camp. The Yankees need a much healthier injury report this spring for their rotation.
What’s the plan at catcher?
The only real position battle the Yankees could have this spring is behind the plate, where Jose Trevino (returning from wrist surgery) and rookie Austin Wells (coming off a solid September call-up) are expected to form a tandem.
Just how their playing time shakes out remains to be seen, but it will bear watching how Boone decides to use the catchers with certain pitchers this spring — especially since Wells will be trying to continue building rapport with all of them.
Why will this year be different than 2023?
Yes, the Yankees improved their roster and also will be banking on better health this season (though there were other teams that overcame serious injury issues last year).
But there were other issues that popped up last season, like Aaron Judge calling for the need to value different numbers from an analytics standpoint and a better way to funnel the data to the players.
Boone mentioned at the winter meetings that he will probably be a little more hands-on in certain areas. What does that look like in action?
The Yankees claimed infielder Jordan Groshans off waivers from the Marlins on Tuesday.
The 24-year-old Groshans, the No. 12-overall pick in the 2018 draft, further bolsters the Yankees’ infield depth with most of his experience coming at third base, shortstop and first base.
Groshans, who has a pair of minor league options remaining, hit .262 with a .619 OPS in 17 games with the Marlins in 2022 but spent all of 2023 at Triple-A.
To open a spot on the 40-man roster, the Yankees designated Matt Krook for assignment.
The lefty reliever flashed interesting stuff last season but struggled with his command, walking 32 batters in 38 innings between the Yankees and Triple-A.
Alex Verdugo, Anthony Rizzo, Anthony Volpe, DJ LeMahieu and Oswaldo Cabrera were among those who took batting practice Tuesday at the minor league complex.
Reliever Ron Marinaccio also threw a bullpen session.
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