Yankees’ Cole makes low-key spring debut against live hitters

There wasnobuzz. Without fans, there was not much anticipation and little noise. A year ago, when Yankees ace G err it Cole ran out to the mound for his first spring training live batting practice session, he got a standing ovation. Monday morning, when Cole faced live hitters for the first time this spring in Tampa, Fla., he got to work.

“Last year, asIrecallit, obviously with fans in the stands over at Steinbrenner, the buzz that surrounded it ... Just that anticipation of obviously being a newly signed superstar player so, yeah, there was a lot more fanfare that came with it,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after the fifth day of pitcher sand catchers workout sat the minor league complex .“We’ re still in the pandemic. It is much more business like and workmanlike as far as just getting ready for the season. Not that last year wasn’ t( workmanlike ). It just didn’t haveall the fanfare to gowithit.

“But I feel really good about where Gerri t’ s at, at this point in the spring.”

And already, Boone was willing to dispense with the fake suspense and said it was a pretty good bet that Cole would need to be ready to make the Opening Day start on April 1.

Toge ton track, Cole threw 26 pitch es, throwing fastballs, change ups and slider, in a simulated inning of work Monday afternoon.

“I thought stuff was pretty good. (The) command’s not where it’s obviously going to be for Gerrit Cole, but just another good step for him ,” Boone said .“I though the shaped some good sliders, mixedin his changeup so heused all his pitches, and I think did exactly what he needed to do today to, you know, kind of make, take that next step and in his progression to get ready for the season.”

Bo ga er ts em braces Red S ox leadership role:

In less than a decade, X an der Bo ga er ts has gone from up-and-coming prospect to elder statesman in the Red S ox club house.

“It’s kind of crazy to think how time flies that quickly,” Bogaerts told reporters in aZoomcall from spring training. “I was young, man. I just wanted to get to the big league sand make it from mylittle tiny Aruba.

“NowI’m eight years in the big leagues, and I’ve accomplished some stuff so far at a young age ,” he said .“That fuels me to to continue to do it, to continue to bebetter andsetanexample.”

S ill just 28, Bo gae rt sis already the longest-tenured member of the Red Sox, who signed him as an amateur free agent in 2009. He broke into the majors late in the 2013 season, and by the time the team reached the World Series, he had played his way into the starting lineup.

“Now he’ s the older one ,” manager Alex Co ra said on the first full day of team work outs .“I saw him today, walking around talking to players, growing into the leader that I envisioned a few yearsago.It’sgoingtobefuntoworkwithhim.”

Mets’ L ind or says it’ s too early to talk extension: Shortstop Francisco L ind or, acquired from the Indian sin an off season trade, was busy fielding throughout his first full day at Mets spring camp in Port St. Lucie, Fla. While he certainly flashed his leather and fielded grounders in the hole, the hot topic after practice was his fielding of questions on a potential contract extension withtheMets.

He said there haven’t been any discussions yet ontheissue.

“We haven’t found the time,” Lindor said. “There’s been no conversations. I think it’s too early.”

Lindor, 27, will join a huge shortstop free agency class after the 2021 season if the Mets don’t move fast on an extension. He said“there is mutual interest” between the Mets and his agency, SportsMeter, to work something out. But, on the flip side, Lindor said he has “never been scared of free agency .”

“It’s inevitable. You can’t not talk about it,” Lindor said of the buzz around his contract extension. “It’s mixed feelings, because you want to focus on your craft. You want to focus on winning. You want to focus on what you have on a daily basis. And what you have on a daily basis is the extension because people know free agency is coming up, so they just talk about it. It’s fun.”