TAMPA — Time for Giancarlo Stanton to fast forward to the regular season.
Opening Day is now less than a week away, but the Yankees veteran DH has spent the past two days smoking the ball like he is ready to roll in games that count.
“If we can just bottle this up and move it north …” manager Aaron Boone said with a grin after a 5-4 win over the Orioles at Steinbrenner Field. “He looks great, feels great, obviously.”
Between Wednesday and Thursday, Stanton put six balls in play.
Five of them registered at exit velocities over 100 mph, and if the wind hadn’t been blowing in on both brisk days, Boone is convinced Stanton would have more to show for it than only one of them leaving the yard.
“Probably with the weather switch, he’s probably got five homers the last couple games,” Boone said.
Stanton finally got one out Thursday, his fourth home run of the spring, on a ball hit 100.1 mph down the right-field line.
He also flew out on balls hit at 110.5 mph and 104.8 mph (a sacrifice fly) after flying out on Wednesday on balls hit at 112.4 mph and 104.1 mph.
Max Fried made his final tuneup before starting Opening Day against the Giants on Wednesday, giving up three runs and walking four across five innings while throwing 81 pitches.
The left-hander acknowledged he was “not sharp,” but said he liked being able to work through jams in his last chance before the games are real.
“I know who I am and I know the kind of pitcher I am, but the more I can try to push myself, it’s only going to help in the end,” Fried said.
Carlos Rodón threw two innings and 35 pitches of live batting practice Thursday afternoon, continuing his buildup from elbow surgery with the hope that he could be back at some point in April.
“Physically, fine,” he said. “Just working to get a feel of things, third live [batting practice]. Obviously I would like everything to be crisp, but it’s hard to do that when you got to build up and come back from surgery. So it’s coming. I try not to get frustrated myself.”
Rodón is expected to pitch in a minor league exhibition next week when the Yankees are out west to start the season.
Aaron Judge is expected to start at DH on Friday night against the Orioles, his first game back since playing in the WBC.
Paul Goldschmidt, who only got three plate appearances for Team USA, took live at-bats against Rodón on a back field, and an hour later was in the starting lineup against the Orioles, going 1-for-3.
Cody Bellinger was initially expected to play on the road Thursday against the Blue Jays, but instead he stayed back after getting hit on the right arm in Wednesday’s game.
He is said to be fine, and looked no worse for wear while taking at-bats off Rodón on the back field.
The Yankees optioned reliever Angel Chivilli to Triple-A, eliminating another name from the bullpen competition.
Chivilli, acquired from the Rockies this winter, remains a work in progress after posting a 12.91 ERA in eight appearances this spring.
