Yankees’ Juan Soto feeling ‘at residence’ forward of season opener

On the eve of the New York Yankees’ season opener at Minute Maid Park in opposition to the Houston Astros, supervisor Aaron Boone had a easy directive for his new slugger: It is your workforce, too.

Requested how Juan Soto will match right into a workforce with Aaron Decide because the acknowledged celebrity and Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton entrenched as veteran leaders, Boone stated on a Zoom name with reporters Wednesday, “My message to him is: It is his clubhouse, too, and we wish to study and develop from you and need you to really feel empowered to say and do no matter you’re feeling like it’s good to do.”

Acquired from the San Diego Padres in a blockbuster offseason commerce, Soto brings his highly effective bat, elite on-base capability and Soto Shuffle to a lineup that struggled to attain runs in 2023. With the Padres, there have been stories in the course of the season because the workforce’s playoff hopes slowly disintegrated that a few of the egos within the San Diego clubhouse — Soto, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. — had clashed, though Soto denied it late within the season.

“Look, anytime you are a participant coming over to a workforce for the primary time, I am positive you are toeing the water a bit of bit, getting a really feel for every little thing,” Boone stated. “I do really feel just like the workforce from a bonding standpoint has come collectively rather well this spring briefly order. I would come with Juan in that. He appears very comfy, he appears completely happy. I feel our leaders do an amazing job of creating guys really feel at residence. From a management and what sort of vocal function he takes, that in all probability nonetheless stays to be seen.”

After a sizzling begin to spring coaching, with three residence runs in his first 4 video games, Soto scuffled a bit towards the top. Through the workforce’s journey to Mexico to wrap up spring coaching, Soto stayed behind in Tampa, Florida, on the workforce’s coaching facility to work on his swing.

“He did not get a ton of outcomes right here the final couple of weeks, which I usually assume with a hitter of his caliber is not such a foul factor from a timing standpoint,” Boone stated. “Each hitter goes by means of little lulls at completely different factors within the season, so hoping he bought that out of the way in which right here, however I feel he is able to roll. He is in an amazing psychological state and I am unable to wait to look at him exit and tear up the Bronx.”

The Yankees missed the playoffs final season for the primary time since 2016, placing Boone, the workforce’s skipper since 2018, squarely on the new seat because the supervisor almost certainly to be fired first, in line with oddsmakers.

“I am right here to attempt to win the World Sequence. All of my power and all of my focus is on making an attempt to assist us be the very best workforce we could be and our purpose is to be a world champion,” Boone stated. “I do not take a look at like, ‘This has to occur for me to avoid wasting my job.’ I am in competitors mode.'”

The season kicks off a sequence with a troublesome seven-game street journey to Houston and Arizona — and with out the injured Gerrit Cole and DJ LeMahieu. In LeMahieu’s absence, Boone stated Gleyber Torres will hit leadoff on Opening Day with Soto and Decide hitting second and third.