The New York Yankees pitchers and catchers reported to spring training on Tuesday, and the regular season is just around the corner. New York's offseason has been filled with exciting trades, free agent signings, and hirings foreshadowing what will be a great 2018 season in the Bronx. The Yankees are back in the headlines recently as they may try and steal slugger J.D. Martinez from Boston, but there is also so worrisome news as a young Yankees star may have an injured shoulder. Here are the latest Yankees rumors you need to know:
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Aaron Judge Taking It Easy
Down the stretch of the 2017 season, AL Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge supported an ice bag on his left shoulder after games. During interviews last year, Judge always downplayed the injury, but maybe his slump after the All-Star break was due to the shoulder injury.
On November 21st he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder to clean-up cartilage. Three months later, Judge is still taking it easy at Spring Training. New manager Aaron Boone was asked in his first spring interview about Judge's shoulder.
"He's doing well," Boone said. "We talk about managing individuals and getting individuals ready. We'll certainly be as cautious as we need to be in the early days."
Judge has been working out with teammates for the last week, so expect him to say he's 100 percent healthy as most athletes do. However, this is an injury to monitor throughout Spring training.
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Yankees In Touch With Moustakas
On Tuesday, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reports that free agent third baseman Mike Moustakas and the Yankees have had "occasional contact" in recent days.
New York has stated all offseason that they want to stay under the luxury tax, which makes Moustakas joining the Yankees a "long shot".
To make this move, the Yankees would most likely need to move outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury who is scheduled to make $68 million over the next three years. The issue is, not many teams are interested in the 34-year-old plus Ellsbury holds a no-trade clause in his contract.
Moustakas is looking for a short-term contract which is probably why he hasn't gotten a ton of attention this offseason, so he may not have as much leverage as he believes. In 2017, the 29-year-old hit .272 with 38 HRs, 85 RBIs in 148 games.
Dellin Betances Sheds Weight
Yankees relief pitcher Dellin Betances reported to Yankee's camp on Tuesday weighing 264 pounds - 16 pounds lighter than last season. MLB.com's Bryan Hoch reported, that Betances hired a nutritionist in hopes he can repeat his delivery.
About a month ago on January 12th, Betances and the Yankees avoided arbitration by agreeing on a one-year, $5.1 million contract.
The 29-year-old is hoping the weight loss will make it easier for him to replicate his pitching delivery. Betances posted a 2.87 ERA with 100 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings, but he also walked 44 batters in 2017. Limiting the walks will greatly improve Betances' performance on the mound.
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