Yankees' Tim Locastro Shows Why He Should Make Opening Day Roster
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TAMPA — Making his second start of the spring on Friday afternoon, Yankees outfielder Tim Locastro showed exactly why he belongs on New York's big-league roster.
Moments after smoking a base hit up the middle off Phillies right-hander Kyle Gibson in his first at-bat of the day—a line drive that left his bat at 101 mph—Locastro swiped second base with ease.
The following frame, Locastro made two pretty grabs in right field.
Bolting toward the infield grass before laying out on a sinking line drive, Locastro robbed Phillies center fielder Matt Vierling of a base hit. Moments later, Locastro ranged back to the warning track, hauling in a fly ball off the bat of second baseman Nick Maton before bouncing off the padded wall.
Locastro is in the process of contending for a spot on New York's 28-man roster this spring, a battle for the final outfield spot with the likes of Ender Inciarte, Miguel Andújar, Estevan Florial and more. He won't hit for power, but he brings elite quickness and versatility to the table, a skillset that's poised to help him accomplish his ultimate aspiration between the lines.
"My number one goal is always to help a team win a baseball game and obviously my speed and athleticism can help that," Locastro told Inside The Pinstripes at George M. Steinbrenner Field this week. "Whatever role I'm given and put into, I'm willing to accept that and go for that and help the team win."
For a moment this offseason, it looked like Locastro's storybook tenure with the Yankees had come to a close. The upstate New York native and Ithaca College alum suffered a torn ACL last summer just nine games into his Yankees career. Locastro, who grew up a Yankees fan, was acquired by the Bombers in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 1.
"When you get hurt, I think that the mental side of it was definitely a challenge for me just as much as the physical," Locastro said, looking back on the highs and lows of his first season in pinstripes. "Rehabbing nonstop and I'm the type of person that likes to be on the go, always moving around. Getting ACL surgery shut me down."
In November, New York cut ties with the outfielder and the Red Sox pounced, claiming the speedster off waivers. A few weeks later, Locastro was non-tendered by Boston, allowing the Yankees to scoop him back up in free agency.
"One door closed and another one opened up," he explained. "Was excited for a new opportunity. Baseball's a business and I was just excited to play again and was fortunate that I was given a chance. But then the lockout happened, was let go just before that, and no one really knew what was gonna happen during the lockout. Was given the chance to come back here and I'm excited for this opportunity."
Before his injury last season, Locastro hit .190 (4-for-21) with a pair of doubles and four runs scored. In 2019, his last full season, the outfielder slashed .250/.357/.340 with 17 stolen bases and 15 extra base hits. As of right now, he projects to fill the final spot on New York's bench, a candidate to run late in games, play defense in all three outfield spots and use his speed to make plays offensively.
Asked if he's been working on anything specific this offseason, Locastro said he wants to hit the ball in the gap more.
"Not only use my speed the steal bases, but hit balls into the gap, turn doubles into triples and even little bloop singles into doubles," he said.
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