On Field 2 of the Yankees’ spring training complex, Tulowitzki took batting practice and worked on a swing that he hasn’t taken into a game since July 2017. Injuries derailed his run as the game’s best all-around shortstop and ultimately led to signing a league-minimum deal with the Yankees while the team that dismissed him, Toronto, pays him millions to be elsewhere. Walking back to the clubhouse, he revisited his youth, the twin challenge of the position and production, and facing questions that Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong is already considering.
“I think at a young age there were days when I ran myself into the ground from a work-ethic standpoint and maybe didn’t cover all of my bases recovery-wise,” said Tulowitzki, 34.