The New York Yankees suffered more injuries than any other team in baseball last season, seeing 30 players hit the injured list 39 total times, indicating that some players landed on the list more than once.
Alleviating concern over soft-tissue injuries was addressed this offseason when the Bombers fired Matt Krause, the former head of strength and conditioning within the organization. Since then, they have hired renowned coach Eric Cressey, who has worked with some of the biggest names in baseball.
The 2020 season has already started with a troublesome bang, though, as star lefty pitcher, James Paxton, was forced to undergo surgery and will sit out for the first three months of the season (minimum). Luckily, initial reports had him sitting out until May, but new information suggests a shorter timetable for recovery.
While this early hit to the pitching rotation is unfortunate, the Yankees signed Gerrit Cole to a $324 million deal, helping to solidify the unit in case of situations like this.
Here’s what Yankees’ Aaron Boone had to say about his concerns going in spring training, per NJ.com:
Q: What is your biggest challenge or concern?
A: Obviously last year was a year in which we dealt with a lot of health issues, but also had a lot of people step up and got some really good answers on a number of people that were required to step in and contribute. My concerns are just the day to day. My focus right now is on spring training. Spring training entails trying to get individuals ready. We’re not trying to win games, obviously, down here, we’re trying to get individuals ready, and everyone’s a little bit different. Some guys are coming off injury, some guys are veterans that you’re gonna slow-play a little bit more in spring. Some guys are trying to compete a little bit more for a job. So my focus right now is on making sure we’re getting the proper work in behind the scenes as far as our defensive work, our work in the weight room, and in the bullpen, in the batting cage, all those things, that we’re paying attention and really making sure we’re getting after it each and every day so that we can lay that foundation that puts us in a good position to go out and potentially win a championship.
Preparation this spring will be tailored around the previously injured players being ready to play at full capacity come the regular season. Giancarlo Stanton, Miguel Andujar, Luis Severino, Jordan Montgomery, and Luke Voit will all be testing their abilities to ensure they’re ready to go on opening day.