New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone and pitching coach Matt Blake, left, speak during spring training on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Charlie Neighborgal)
TAMPA, Fla. — The Yankees lost the third-most games to injury last season, leading to an 82-80 record and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
“We all know what our problems have been the last few years,” Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortez said before spring training practice. “So we’re trying to deal with it as best we can.”
Cortez was one of the many participants in offseason training at the Yankees’ minor league complex, which began in January.
“We have to push ourselves to get better and prepare properly for the offseason,” Cortez said. “That’s what it comes down to.”
New York lost 2,158 games due to injuries. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers (2,465) and Los Angeles Angels (2,346) had more players.
“Certainly there were injuries that were outside of the normal range of injuries that affected us,” New York ace Gerrit Cole said. “That being said, we get injured too much as a group. We need to improve.”
Carlos Rodon (3-8, 6.85 ERA in 14 starts) also arrived early in Tampa. Rodon and Cortez (5-2, 4.97) are both returning from injuries and are throwing to batters multiple times.
Sluggers Giancarlo Stanton (101 games), Anthony Rizzo (99 games) and DJ LeMahieu (136 games) were affected by injuries. Captain Aaron Judge crashed into the right-field fence at Dodger Stadium on June 3, tearing a ligament in his right big toe and missing 42 games.
“I think last year, in some cases, we got ourselves into bad positions early on,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “Other times, it’s just a coincidence. But I think some injuries were probably caused by not being in the best position to start. There are others, like right fielder Judge at Dodger Stadium. There were injuries, but it was also because of the competition.”
Cole found some positives from the 2023 season, but called it a disaster. The Yankees extended their winning streak to 31 seasons. The only one that lasted longer was the Yankees from 1926 to 1964, which lasted 39 years.
“It showed some grit because we’ve been bad for the majority of this year,” Cole said. “We’ve been over .500 for 30-odd years in a row, so when the bigger goal went away, there was a little bit of an element of excitement around that.”
