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When the New York Yankees are announced one by one at the Rogers Centre on March 29, Tyler Wade will be one of the last players to jog out of the dugout.
And that’s if he’s not in the starting lineup in the season opener against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced after Tuesday’s 8-3 loss to the Detroit Tigers that the 23-year-old will make the big-league club. It will mark Wade’s first big-league opening day.
Wade went 2-for-3 with a double and triple in the loss.
“You come in each and every day, try to get your work in, try to get better, ask questions and just go about your business and play the game the right way,” Wade said of his mindset with a starting job open this spring.
The former Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders utility man has had a strong spring, batting .316 with six runs, two stolen bases and two RBI.
Wade hasn’t slowed down since the Yankees brought in some competition last week either. He’s batting .357 with five walks, a double, triple and stolen base since New York signed veteran utility man Neil Walker on March 12.
The Walker signing gives Yankees manager Aaron Boone plenty of options now. Wade can play second base, shortstop, third base and the outfield while Walker can play second, third and first base.
“I wouldn’t necessarily anoint either one of them (the starter),” Boone said, via the New York Daily News. “I feel like it’s just going to be a daily thing where those guys will be getting regular playing time, and I just think their skill sets complement each other. You could see both of them in a game every day — whether they’re sharing a position or playing somewhere else depending on how things unfold. I think they complement each other really well.”
Gomez coming back to SWB
The Atlanta Braves returned 25-year-old reliever Anyelo Gomez to the Yankees on Tuesday.
Gomez was selected by the Braves in December’s Rule 5 Draft, but failed to make the team’s 25-man out of spring training. The Yankees assigned Gomez to the RailRiders.
The right-hander struggled for Atlanta this spring, posting a 1-1 record and 10.80 ERA in seven games. However, Gomez showed dominance during his time with the RailRiders last season, making one shutout appearance during the regular season before turning into one of Al Pedrique’s most-reliable relievers in the postseason.
Gomez appeared in four games, pitching 5.1 innings of shutout baseball while striking out six batters.
“He’s nice and calm on the mound. He’s not afraid to challenge the hitters. He’s not afraid to throw his breaking ball in fastball counts when he’s behind in the count,” former RailRiders manager Al Pedrique said of Gomez back in September. “We’ve been really impressed with his performance, the way he’s handled himself in key situations on the field.”
