Betances not up to speed yet
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Pitching in a game for the first time in a week after issues with his velocity, Dellin Betances got on the mound at Spectrum Field to face Bryce Harper right away. The Yankees set-up man got the Phillies’ new slugger to swing and miss on a 90-mile-per-hour fastball.
“I don’t think either of us is ready,” Betances said with a laugh.
With a week of spring training left, that is a little concerning. “I do think he’s healthy and fine, it just taking him a while to find the arm strength. Talking to him again today, he kind of said it feels akin to what he feels basically every spring training early, but just hasn’t broken through yet,” Aaron Boone said. He was efficient with his pitches, threw strikes today. Had a nice, easy inning. Hopefully this next week, 10 days he can start to find that arm strength and build on it a little bit.”
Betances is traditionally a slow starter, building up velocity incrementally over the six weeks. But on Sunday his fastball topped out at 92 mph, which was 1 mph slower than his last appearance. It’s also considerably slower than the 98 mph that his fastball normally averages.
It was so noticeable that catcher Gary Sanchez, who had not caught Betances in a Grapefruit League game this spring, ran out to the mound after three pitches to make sure the big right-hander was OK.
“When I saw that his speed was around 90, I went out to have a little chat with him just to make sure that he was OK and everything was fine,” Sanchez said through Yankees interpreter Marlin Abreu. “He told me that he was.”
Betances insisted his arm felt fine, he was just having a hard time getting his arm strength up this spring. In his last spring training game appearance, Betances had a messy inning. He was able to retire just one batter as his fastball hung and his breaking ball rolled. The Yankees held him out of games this week, having him pitch a simulated game of two innings to work on his mechanics.
ELLSBURY ARRIVES
Jacoby Ellsbury was sighted in the Yankees clubhouse Sunday morning. The outfielder who missed all of last season because of injuries arrived at the complex to begin his introduction to baseball activities after dealing with plantar fasciitis at his home in Arizona during the first part of camp. He declined to talk to reporters Sunday.
Ellsbury, 35, still has two years and more than $42 million — plus a $5 million buyout — left on his contract.
He missed all of last season due to hip and foot injuries and wound up undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip. He also missed a combined 72 games in 2015 and 2017, out with a sprained right knee in 2015 and a concussion in 2017.
FLORIAL FRUSTRATED
Yankees top prospect Estevan Florial will have an MRI on his right wrist today to get an idea of how he will treat the nondisplaced fracture in his right wrist. He said he does not believe that it will require surgery.
PREDICTING PAXTON
James Paxton has been every bit as good as Aaron Boone hoped when the Yankees traded for him last winter. The lefty allowed one run Sunday in 4.1 innings. He walked two and struck out four. In 11.2 innings pitched this spring, Paxton has a 1.54 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP.