TAMPA — On a day the Yankees received crushing news from California, where Gerrit Cole’s right elbow was found to require surgery, they hoped for better news from New York, where Giancarlo Stanton had his own appointment.
The Yankees DH received his third round of PRP shots Monday, manager Aaron Boone said, after the first two sets of injections did not do enough to help his elbows.
The shots were not expected to help immediately, but are hoped to speed up the healing process.
Boone said Stanton would not return to camp Tuesday and was not sure when the slugger would be around the team again.
Giancarlo Stanton is pictured during the Yankees’ spring training workout Feb. 19.Charles Wenzelberg
On Saturday, Stanton called his injuries to both elbows “severe” and said he did not know when he could play or even swing a bat again.
Stanton said he likely will have to deal with some pain whenever he does resume baseball activities.
He did not believe he would undergo a surgery that would knock him out for the season.
The Yankees likely will open the season with a platoon at DH, with Ben Rice, J.C. Escarra and non-roster invitee Dom Smith fighting for the at-bats against righty pitchers and Everson Pereira a favorite to see time against lefties.
In a 10-2 win over the Tigers at Steinbrenner Field, Yoendrys Gómez threw 2 ¹/₃ more scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
The righty prospect — who is out of minor league options and thus must make the team to avoid being exposed to waivers — has not been scored upon in five Grapefruit League innings and has allowed just
two base runners.
Yoendrys Gómez throws a pitch during the Yankees’ spring training workout Feb. 14.Imagn Images
“I feel great and healthy and working to make the team — that’s the goal,” Gómez said.
The 25-year-old has six career appearances in the majors and is coming off a solid season as a starter with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, with whom he held a 3.67 ERA.
The righty is being tested as a reliever capable of length out of the bullpen and has passed the tests so far, Boone saying Gómez is “right in the mix” for a spot.
“I feel better [than last year],” Gómez said. “Last season, sometimes I missed with my slider a lot away. Now it’s more in the zone.”
Austin Wells, who seems to like hitting leadoff, smoked his third homer of camp and second while the first Yankees batter of the day.
Paul Goldschmidt drilled his second homer of camp — a two-run shot off Kenta Maeda — and Trent Grisham added his first dinger.
After an impressive showing, young infielder George Lombard Jr. was reassigned to minor league camp.
