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#Yankees get first look at shortstops of present — and future

“Yankees get first look at shortstops of present — and future”

The Yankees got their first look at their shortstop of the present and another first look at their potential shortstop of the future on Friday, as Isiah Kiner-Falefa made his Yankees debut in a 4-3 Grapefruit League loss to the Pirates at LECOM Field in Bradenton, Fla. and was replaced by pinch-runner Anthony Volpe.

Kiner-Falefa, acquired in the trade that also brought Josh Donaldson and catcher Ben Rortvedt from Minnesota and sent Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela to the Twins, had a pair of hits, including a double in his first at-bat.

A lifelong Yankees fan, Kiner-Falefa said he was at Yankee Stadium for Mariano Rivera’s 400th career save in 2006 thanks to the fact he was participating in a baseball tournament.

He was brought to the Yankees more for his glove than for his bat, but hopes to change that and worked with the Dodgers’ Justin Turner during the offseason on restoring his leg kick.

According to Kiner-Falefa, he had been hitting the ball on the ground too much.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa scores a run during the Yankees' 4-3 exhibition loss to the Pirates.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa scores a run during the Yankees’ 4-3 exhibition loss to the Pirates.
USA TODAY Sports

Volpe, the Yankees’ top prospect, played in his first major league spring training game.

“It was an awesome learning experience,’’ Volpe said. “Being in the dugout the first couple of innings, I wasn’t even playing. I was just being a sponge and keeping my ears as open as I can. I think I learned a lot.”

According to Aaron Boone, Volpe will have more learning experiences this spring.

Boone said he expected Volpe to be with the big league club “quite a bit” this spring in an attempt to get him accustomed to the surroundings and the level of play.

Most scouts believe Volpe, 20, is at least a year away from the majors. He’s expected to begin the season with Double-A Somerset.

Fellow shortstop prospect Oswald Peraza, who likely will be with the major league club in Sarasota, Fla. on Saturday against the Orioles, is closer and should open the year with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said Tuesday the development of the pair of minor leaguers has played a role in the team — so far — not going after any of the high-priced free agent shortstops this season.


Aaron Judge was among the Yankees sorry to see Luke Voit go in the trade that acquired right-handed pitching prospect Justin Lange from San Diego.

“He changed this lineup and changed this team,’’ Judge said of Voit’s arrival in a trade from St. Louis in 2018. “Luke brought energy every single day. … He played with heart. He played with passion. He’s someone I feel the fans really gravitated towards. Especially in New York, they want that grittiness. They want guys to be out there, be aggressive and give it their all. Luke, I feel like, represented the New York spirit.”

In exchange for Voit, the Yankees got the 20-year-old Lange, the Padres’ first-round draft pick from 2020 (34th overall). The hard-throwing Lange pitched in the Complex League last season.

With Voit’s departure, the Yankees’ 40-man roster is at 39.


Domingo German, placed on the 60-day IL on Thursday to open up a 40-man roster spot for Anthony Rizzo, was diagnosed with right shoulder impingement syndrome, the team announced Friday.

Boone said German is in the early stages of a throwing program after being shut down in January when the shoulder issues that sidelined him last season popped up again in January.


The Yankees remain in the market for a starting pitcher, with Nestor Cortes Jr. likely the fifth starter for now. Without German, Michael King, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, Deivi Garcia and Luis Medina are in the mix for potential depth.

“As we sit here early [in spring], very early, I do feel like we have a lot of good and interesting arms that could play a factor in the roster,’’ Boone said.

There is also hope within the game that rosters will be expanded at least for the first few weeks of the season to allow teams to carry extra pitchers due to the shortened spring training.

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