TAMPA — The real thing is still almost six weeks away, but Marcus Stroman got his first taste on Monday.
The new Yankees right-hander, decked out in full uniform, threw three innings of live batting practice at Steinbrenner Field as he continued to build up his workload toward the regular season.
“Exciting putting the pinstripes on and getting those feels,” Stroman said. “Having a little bit of a crowd out there is pretty awesome. But, yeah, felt good. Just a matter of getting mechanics dialed in and feeling good at this point.”
Stroman was joined by Carlos Rodon as they alternated “ups” during the live session, with each throwing around 44 pitches.
Stroman was piling up strikeouts before teammate Austin Wells took him deep for a home run.
“Both looked pretty sharp for this point in the spring,” manager Aaron Boone said.
Stroman’s next step is pitching on Sunday in one of the Yankees’ split-squad Grapefruit League games.
It will mark another first for the Long Island native after signing a two-year, $37 million contract with the Yankees last month.
“I don’t know if I envisioned it [growing up], but playing for the New York Yankees as an organization is like the pinnacle of the sport,” Stroman said. “I feel like every player when you embark on this journey to play at the highest level, I feel like everyone wants to be a Yankee at some point.
“It’s kind of like the world-wide phenomenon you grow up watching, even if you’re not from New York. It’s an honor. I’m very grateful and thankful to be part of this organization. It’s an honor to put the pinstripes on and I don’t take that lightly. I’m excited to get to work.”
Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Juan Soto’s favorite player was former Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano.
While Soto has since gotten to know Cano and played with him in the 2023 WBC, they haven’t yet talked in depth about playing for the Yankees.
“He congratulated me and told me how good it is over here,” Soto said. “But I didn’t get the chance to talk about the organization and how it’s going to be playing over [here].”
Boone said that all of the Yankees’ position players reported to camp as planned on Monday and that all of them were healthy.
Rodon ditched his mustache this year but Gleyber Torres has acquired one, though he indicated it may not last through Opening Day.
“I’m not totally [in] on the mustache,” Boone said with a grin.