Boone’s following Bryce-Manny drama
TAMPA — Aaron Boone wasn’t above listening to the latest Manny Machado or Bryce Harper rumors this winter. The Yankee manager is a baseball fan at heart, first and foremost, so he enjoyed the hot stove talk.
“The attention and the conversation about great players — that’s inevitable, and when you see that interest, I think that’s ultimately something that’s very good for the game and good for the sport, when there is that interest in where guys are going and those kinds of conversations,” Boone said Wednesday in his first news conference of the year. “So I think that’s one of the fun things, certainly, about being a fan, about what you can follow and get interested in and invested in in the offseason about where different guys end up.”
Of course, Harper and Machado still are jobless.
Harper reportedly met with San Francisco Giants brass last week in his native Las Vegas, while Machado is said to be weighing potential offers reportedly between $175 and $200 million for seven-to-eight years from the Phillies, Yankees and White Sox.
Boone was part of the Yankee contingent that met with Machado and his wife over dinner last winter.
“It was a really nice dinner,” Boone said. “I really enjoyed it with him. I feel like I enjoyed him and his wife. He’s a great player. Confident that he’ll be a great player moving forward. But that’s about my take on it. I really enjoyed the day.”
ELLSBURY OUT ... AGAIN
Jacoby Ellsbury won’t be in town to start spring training after all. The injury-plagued outfielder suffered a flame up of a previous plantar fascia injury during his rehab from hip surgery, Boone said Wednesday.
“We expected him to be here to fully participate in spring training,” the Yankee manager said. “Issues with his plantar fascia slowed down his rehab…. He is going to stay in Arizona a couple weeks and when he is ready to really go, he’ll be here. Sometime in March.”
Ellsbury is entering the sixth year of a seven-year, $153 million deal.
In the first four years of his contract, Ellsbury hit .264/ .330/.380 in 520 games. He stole 102 bases, hit 39 homers and drove in 198 games. He missed all of last season.
MONTY PLEDGES RETURN
Jordan Montgomery sees himself back on the Yankee Stadium mound in four months. The 26-year-old lefty is coming off Tommy John surgery in May, and said Wednesday that after a setback free rehab so far, he expects to be back “at the AllStar break.”
“I don’t know what I will be doing. Whatever they need me to do,” Montgomery said Wednesday at the first official day of pitchers and catchers at the George M. Steinbrenner Field. “But in four months, when I am done with my rehab starts, hopefully I am there.”
Montgomery said he progressed to throwing on flat ground at 90 feet as he works to rebuild the strength in his shoulder and increase the flexibility in the surgically-repaired elbow. The rehab process from Tommy John is usually a 12-to-13 month process and includes incremental increases in distance and workload in long toss before returning to the mound. The last long-toss step is usually 120 feet, which would be the next progression for Montgomery. He said he believes he will be on a mound before the end of spring training.
The Yankees have reloaded their rotation with the addition of James Paxton, along with bringing back J.A. Happ and CC Sabathia. But the addition of Montgomery in the second half is tantalizing.
In 2017, he had a breakout rookie year, posting a 3.88 ERA and 1.230 WHIP over 29 starts. He struck out 144 over 155.1 innings pitched and walked just 51.
He made just six starts in 2018 before being diagnosed with the torn ulnar collateral ligament, requiring elbow surgery. After the May surgery, Montgomery said he had just one day of discomfort, which he described as normal, “general soreness,” but has worked without issue since.
It’s a tedious process, but Montgomery has a plan for the next four months.
“It sucks, you kind of got to get over yourself,” Montgomery said. “Four more months to get as strong as I can and work on anything I want to. I can work on my mechanics, get those cleaned out, get my legs stronger, get in better shape and come back a whole new pitcher is the plan.”