TAMPA – Within the months since Hurricane Milton ravaged Florida’s west coast, Yankees reliever Ryan Yarbrough has been left in disbelief every time he’s pushed previous Tropicana Subject.
Seeing the Rays’ devastated residence – which had its domed roof ripped to shreds within the October storm – conjures up core recollections for the lefty. Raised in Winter Haven, Florida, a bit of greater than an hour away, Yarbrough typically attended The Trop as a child. Then he started his massive league profession with the Rays, pitching for them from 2018-2022.
As a member of the Blue Jays, he appeared in Tropicana Subject’s final sport earlier than the destruction on Sept. 22, 2024. That it’s presently unplayable remains to be exhausting to imagine.
“It was crazy because I’m pretty sure it was supposed to be a place of refuge during the storm,” Yarbrough stated. “So the fact that it was that hard of an impact was crazy.”
Yarbrough, who nonetheless lives close to The Trop along with his spouse, Nicole, famous that Hurricane Helene slammed the realm shortly earlier than Milton. Whereas they and their neighbors have been “pretty lucky” to keep away from critical harm, others weren’t.
“With the storm two weeks earlier already hitting, you already saw a bunch of debris and everything on the side of the road from people’s houses being torn apart and flooded,” Yarbrough recalled. “So it was having basically a double impact in how many lives were affected. It was really hard to see, and then you see The Trop itself with no roof and it’s just tattered.”
With The Trop in no situation for main league video games, the Yankees leased their spring coaching advanced, George M. Steinbrenner Subject, to the division rival Rays this season. With the ballpark redecorated for its momentary tenants, the Bombers — the designated highway group in their very own constructing — and Rays performed each other there for the primary time on Thursday to open a four-game collection.
Yarbrough made an early entrance from the bullpen within the Yankees’ 6-3 win, permitting two earned runs over two innings.
After spending most of spring coaching with Toronto, Yarbrough signed with the Yankees on the finish of camp. He didn’t get to see a lot of the just lately renovated GMS as a house participant, so he is aware of this collection has been weirder for a few of his teammates than it has been for him.
Nonetheless, he stated “it’s going to be a little strange” previous to the journey. For Yarbrough, that has simply as a lot to do with Rays logos changing Yankees ones because it does with the previous couple of video games not going down at The Trop.
Whereas Tropicana hasn’t at all times had one of the best rep amongst gamers, Yarbrough loved pitching there. And with so many cherished moments hooked up to the stadium, he hopes to see it return higher than ever.
“It was just one of those places where I kind of grew up going to games and everything,” Yarbrough stated. “So it always had a really cool place in my heart.”
Rice Recovering
Aaron Boone stated Sunday that Ben Rice is doing “quite a bit better” after a hit-by-pitch bruised his left elbow in Saturday’s sport. Nevertheless, Rice – out of Sunday’s lineup – was nonetheless stiff, sore and swollen.
Rice additionally stated he was feeling higher, however Boone stated he’d doubtless avoid the designated hitter within the Yankees’ collection finale in opposition to the Rays.
Beeter Begins Rehab
Clayton Beeter (shoulder impingement) started a rehab project with Single-A Tampa on Sunday. The younger right-hander was checked out as a potential contributor to the Yankees’ bullpen over the offseason; that hasn’t modified after Beeter needed to slow-play his spring coaching.
“Reports have been good with how he’s throwing the ball,” Boone stated. “Velocity’s in a good spot. He could definitely be a guy that could play a big role for us this year.”
Nothing New On Stanton
Giancarlo Stanton (tennis elbows) joined the Yankees for his or her journey to Tampa, however Boone didn’t have any data on what the designated hitter has been as much as the previous couple of days.
Nevertheless, Boone did say that Stanton will journey to Cleveland with the Yankees as an alternative of staying again on the group’s participant growth advanced, which is throughout the road from Steinbrenner Subject.
