Given an extra 3½ months for their brittle stars to heal, the New York Yankees will closely monitor the conditioning of Aaron Judge, James Paxton, Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton ahead of a season unlike any other.
“We want these players to withstand a 60-game sprint over a 66-day schedule,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said.
New York placed a big league record 30 players on the injured list a total of 39 times last season, then overhauled its training and conditioning staff.
“Ultimately, we’re in it to win it,” Cashman said, “and I think everybody else should be feeling the same way.”
“And especially in a shortened season, I think it heightens the ability for anybody to really take a shot at the title. And so, therefore, how they respond to this challenge remains to be seen, but I think it’s certainly going to open it up for a lot of opportunities for teams to take advantage of.”
The Guy Report 