Sore sit-uation
Outfielders Ellsbury, Frazier still on mend for Yanks
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Don’t look for Jacoby Ellsbury to play in a game any time soon for the Yankees. And the same may apply to Clint Frazier.
Ellsbury was scratched from Friday’s action due to an oblique muscle strain and Frazier was sent home Saturday after reporting to George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. He hasn’t played since last Sunday when he suffered a concussion banging his head against the left field wall in Bradenton, Fla.
“Ells was kind of similar today, it’s in there so not a lot of work for him,’’ manager Aaron Boone said of the backup outfielder. “It continues to be something we will monitor day to day. But not much changed from [Friday]. There is still that tweak in there.’’
Boone couldn’t put a time frame on the injury.
“Anytime you are talking, and we do believe it’s a mild strain, obliques are a tricky thing,’’ he said. “That is one of those like a hamstring or a groin, those kind of things. You need to be healthy and as soon as you are not and you go out and push it, you set yourself back even more.
“We will be conservative about how we treat it and hopefully it won’t be too long.’’
Aaron Hicks, after suffering from right and left oblique strains a year ago that landed him on the disabled list, worked in the offseason to strengthen his core muscles. He said he sympathizes with Ellsbury.
“It’s not a fun process,’’ Hicks said. “Lot of waiting around.’’
Frazier, meanwhile, underwent an MRI exam on Friday and Boone said it was clean. Frazier is expected to be examined by a doctor on Tuesday.
“There were no issues. He came in and said he felt a little bit better [Saturday] but we kind of shut him down, no activity,’’ Boone said. “No [batting] cage, no getting the heart rate up. I think we sent him home. From all the testing we have done hopefully it’s not something severe.’’
As a parting gift to his baseball family, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson gave Yankees players an autographed NFL football. Wilson was in camp for a six-day stint, which included an at-bat Friday — pinch-hitting for Aaron Judge, no less — in which he struck out.
Last spring training, Hicks was competing with Judge for the starting right field job, which Judge won by a nose. Now, the switchhitting Hicks is firmly entrenched as the starting center fielder since taking over for Ellsbury last season.
His status has changed, but Hicks’ approach hasn’t.
“I am still trying to figure it out,’’ Hicks said of his swing, which produced a home run in the third inning of Saturday’s 5-3 win over the Red Sox. “Actually, it’s not one swing, it’s two swings I have to work on. It’s a little longer to figure it out.’’
Hicks said this approach isn’t different than last year’s.
“I am just trying to make solid contact and hit the ball hard and not swing out of the zone,’’ he said.
Boone said David Robertson is over a fight with the flu and back to working out.
“I think he is due to be in a game this week,’’ Boone said of the right-handed reliever, who hasn’t worked in an exhibition game yet. “He is a guy who won’t need a lot of outings.’’
Luis Severino, Sonny Gray and Dellin Betances threw simulated games at Steinbrenner Field.
Gray worked three shutout innings, gave up a hit, walked three and struck out three. Betances threw an inning, allowed a hit and a walk and whiffed one.