Given an extra 3½ months for their brittle stars to heal, the New York Yankees will closely monitor the conditioning of Aaron Judge, James Paxton, Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton ahead of a season unlike any other.
“We want these players to withstand a 60-game sprint over a 66-day schedule,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday on the eve of the first arrivals for what has been dubbed “summer camp” in Major League Baseball’s marketing deal.
New York placed a big league record 30 players on the injured list a total of 39 times last season, then overhauled its training and conditioning staff.
“Ultimately, we’re in it to win it,” Cashman said, “and I think everybody else should be feeling the same way.”
“And especially in a shortened season, I think it heightens the ability for anybody to really take a shot at the title. And so, therefore, how they respond to this challenge remains to be seen, but I think it’s certainly going to open it up for a lot of opportunities for teams to take advantage of.”
Sports Buzzer 