TAMPA — If spring training results are meaningless for veterans, live batting practice results can be even more so.
Under that pretense, Carlos Rodon was pleased with how he felt and the work he got in Friday afternoon, if not the results.
The Yankees left-hander built his pitch count up to 52 during a live batting practice session, but gave up four home runs in the process to his teammates at Steinbrenner Field.
“I’m always competing,” Rodon said. “I don’t want to give up that [many] homers. But I’m glad I gave it up to our guys, make them feel good about themselves. I had some good sequences there at the end to the lefties. Got to work in some curveballs and work on the cutter. So that was good.”
Rodon and Marcus Stroman had been on the same schedule — they both started split-squad games last Sunday — so the Yankees split them up by having Rodon throw live batting practice Friday. The controlled setting allowed him to work on his new cutter more than he might have in a Grapefruit League game, with Rodon describing the pitch as “coming along.”
“I went out there and competed and tried to sequence some pitches and work on the cutter, drop in some curveballs, get the slider shape more refined,” he said. “I think I threw two changeups, I’d like to throw some more. But most of the work was the cutter-fastball, slider-fastball, curveball-fastball combo. So there’s work with sequencing. There’s always work to be had, even if it is a live.”
Minor league catchers Josh Breaux, Augustin Ramirez, Ben Rice and non-roster infielder Jose Rojas went deep off Rodon.
But manager Aaron Boone was still encouraged beyond the results.
“His stuff’s coming out really well, shapes are good, metrics of everything look really good,” Boone said. “[Last spring] it wasn’t coming out as crisp as it is now.”
Anthony Rizzo belted his first two home runs of the spring, another encouraging sign for the veteran who had last season derailed by a concussion.
“Not that I’m a superhero, but I feel like I got some superpowers back, just that I can see the ball the right way again and feel like I can do damage,” Rizzo said.
Boone had been hopeful Oswald Peraza might get back into game action by Friday, but the infielder’s return has been delayed.
Peraza is still experiencing some “pinching” — it had previously been described as tightness — in his right shoulder, Boone said.
He went through a full day of workouts Thursday and threw Friday afternoon but was still not deemed ready to play.
“Again, I don’t think it’s anything too extreme,” Boone said. “But he’s probably not where he needs to be just getting it across the diamond. Still feeling a little something in there. So continue to work and we’ll see moving forward.”
Boone reiterated that Peraza was not set to undergo any testing.
Jose Trevino (calf strain) took batting practice Friday after a full day of workouts and ramping up his running progression.
He is set to have another heavy work day Sunday, and if that goes well, could be in play to make his Grapefruit League debut in the second half of next week.