Yankees Considering All Backup Catcher Options to Fill in For Ben Rortvedt
LAKELAND, Fla. — It's becoming more and more likely that Yankees catcher Ben Rortvedt won't be ready for Opening Day.
The backstop is still nursing an oblique injury, an issue the team was aware of when they included Rortvedt in a five-player swap with the Twins at the beginning of spring training last month.
While Rortvedt continues to take steps in the right direction—recently he added dry swings and tee work to his daily workouts at camp in Tampa—the calendar is working against him. After New York's 6-2 victory over the Tigers on Friday, the Yankees have just four Grapefruit League games remaining.
Asked on Friday if he thinks Rortvedt will be able to play in a game before the end of spring training, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he doubts it.
"His couple of days of hitting have gone well. He's pretty much doing everything defensively," Boone said. "It's just the progression of the hitting, that's the last thing."
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By making the safe assumption that Rortvedt will start the regular season on the injured list, needing to play in some minor league games to get ready for his official Yankee debut, that leaves three other catchers at Major League camp, competing to earn a spot as Kyle Higashioka's backup on New York's Opening Day roster.
Rob Brantly has the most experience of the bunch. He played in six games with the big-league club a year ago, along with 68 games in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Max McDowell (45 games in Triple-A last year) and David Freitas (43 games in the Korean Baseball Organization last year) are in the running as well.
"I would say we're truly considering all of them," Boone said. "They're all right there in the mix. There's a case to be made, I think, going several different ways there. So that'll be one of the things we got to figure out and finalize."
In a (very) small sample size, all three of those catchers are performing offensively this spring. McDowell is hitting .300 (3-for-10) over seven games, Brantly recently crushed a three-run home run and Freitas is slashing .364/.417/.727 with a homer of his own in eight games.
It's worth noting that Brantly is the only left-handed hitter from that group. Higashioka, who is raking this spring, was poised to form some sort of platoon with Rortvedt had the lefty-swinging backstop been healthy.
MORE:
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- Clarke Schmidt Sets Sights on Yankees' Staff
- Yankees' Manny Bañuelos Continues to Turn Heads With Strong Spring
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