TAMPA — The Yankees didn’t push their pregame workouts on Sunday; all they had to do was move them across the street.
A sewage leak caused by a clogged drain in a pipe outside the footprint of Steinbrenner Field forced the Yankees to hold their breath and head to their player development complex for morning workouts while crews finished cleanup before the team returned for a game against the Mets.
The leak occurred Saturday afternoon and spread to areas around the home clubhouse.
However, it didn’t do any real damage to the main area where players dress and house their equipment.
“It was really bad in some spots,” manager Aaron Boone said Sunday after returning from a 6-4 loss to the Mets. “Luckily it didn’t get into the clubhouse where it could have seeped in and we would have had to remove carpet, lockers and equipment in the clubhouse. So that was good.
“There are some sensitive areas that need to be addressed; I’m sure that will happen in the coming days. But for the most part we have to be good. We have to behave normally after the game, with everyone showering and doing what they have to do to end the day.”
In the carriage room the carpet appeared to have been pulled up, and other areas were more affected, in addition to a brutal stench that wafted through the area on Saturday, although it had largely dissipated by Sunday morning as workers finished a 24-hour clean-up.
“I was surprised at how much they were able to clean things up and disinfect them,” Boone said. “Thanks to a lot of people who spent a lot of hours last night and this morning. Hopefully we’re in a good position going forward. We’ve probably got some longer-term issues that need to be sorted out, but they need to be in a good place.”
Luis Gil made his spring debut and struck out four in 2 ²/₃ innings, while giving up a solo home run to Jared Young.
His fastball averaged 90.5 mph and topped out at 96.6 mph, but the right-hander said he still believes he can return to his 2024 form — both in velocity (average 90 mph) and overall performance — after averaging 90.3 mph in 2025.
“I feel like I’m on the right track,” Gil said through an interpreter. “I think the work we have done together has been very good and has put me on the right path. I feel like I am now where I need to be. I have no doubt that I can get back to the level I was at in 2024. God willing, I will be.”
With Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger in Sunday’s lineup, Ben Rice and Giancarlo Stanton are now the last two regulars yet to play in a Grapefruit League game.
Rice is expected to make his debut against the Pirates on Monday after being slowed earlier in camp by a stiff neck that kept him from hitting for a few days.
Stanton, meanwhile, is being played slowly into games in an effort to keep him fresh long-term.
Boone is focusing on both ends of the March 2 day off to get Stanton into his first game, with the 36-year-old DH limited to workouts and live batting practice in the meantime.
On Sunday morning, he was in right field hitting fly balls while his teammates took batting practice.
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