So far, so good at spring training for the New York Yankees. We’ve only had two (2) concerning injury revelations with Scott Effross and Jose Trevino. Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo and Marcus Stroman are here. The team is hinting more moves are to come, too.
Aaron Judge had a nice little “wink wink” moment with the media when asked about the Yankees’ potential moves before Opening Day … but he also provided a somewhat unsettling update on his toe injury from last year.
The toe is fine. That’s good. Though some fans’ worst fears may have been validated on Tuesday when Judge told the media that his toe will “likely require constant maintenance for the rest of his career.”
Does this mean everyone will have constant worry in the back of their minds that Judge’s toe could hamper his play/availability at any moment? Will it potentially affect his durability for the long haul?
Can Yankees fans open a class action lawsuit against the Dodgers for having a completely out-of-date, garbage stadium despite being the second-most valuable franchise in the sport?
Aaron Judge said his toe will likely require "constant maintenance" the rest of his career, but it's been feeling good. #Yankees
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) February 20, 2024
Yankees News: Aaron Judge injury update, Derek Dietrich hire, MLB The Show 24
Judge is about to embark on a center field journey to start the 2024 season with Jasson Dominguez on the shelf likely until the middle of the summer. He’s going to be on his feet and moving more than ever. We suppose it’s best for Judge to be candid, but, man, fans really don’t want to be thinking worst-case scenario. Are we sure he shouldn’t have had offseason (or, hell, mid-August) surgery?
In better news, Yankees spring training is packed with all the right people. Andy Pettitte, CC Sabathia, Ron Guidry, Mike Harkey, Bernie Williams and Willie Randolph are all present in Tampa and hopefully imparting their wisdom on this group of players. CC posted a picture of his locker. He’s amped.
But that’s not all. The Yankees also hired former player Derek Dietrich to work in their Player Development department for the upcoming season. Joel Sheman of the New York Post relayed the news on MLB Network Radio, but didn’t have details beyond that.
Yankees hired Derek Dietrich to work in their Player Development department per Joel Sherman. pic.twitter.com/l00GeTgNyg
— Dugout Station (@DugoutStation) February 20, 2024
Dietrich was suspended back in 2022 after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs while he was with the Yankees in a minor-league deal. He last appeared in the bigs with the Rangers in 2020 and most recently played in the Mexican League (for only eight games).
With the hype of the 2024 season comes similar hype for MLB The Show 24, which is set to drop on March 19. Baseball fans who love video games have this marked on their calendar annually.
And if you’re a Yankees fan who enjoys The Show, this year’s version will give users the ability to unlock Derek Jeter’s biggest career storylines in the game’s newest feature.
Step up to unlock a career defined by the unbelievable. Earn your Captain’s stripes in Storylines: Derek Jeter.
Pre-order MLB The Show 24 Now: https://t.co/KpuWHxOUb8 #MLBTheShow pic.twitter.com/d1AQU51Sl3
— MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) February 20, 2024
This is the second installation of “Storylines” mode from MLB The Show, with the first coming last year with The Negro Leagues, which will also get a Season 2 in the 2024 version (in addition to Jeter’s).
Pretty cool stuff. Pre-order your copy and get amped for Opening Day’s road matchup against the Astros on March 28. You’ll have nine days to whoop them in video game world before the real stuff starts.
