Former Yankee Ben Rortvedt off to quick start for Rays
NY Post
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Ben Rortvedt saw the writing on the wall toward the end of spring training that his time would soon be up with the Yankees.
As long as Jose Trevino and Austin Wells stayed healthy, they were going to be the catchers the Yankees brought north, and with Rortvedt out of minor league options, he expected to be moved.
But Rortvedt has taken his new opportunity and run with it, at least in the early going.
After being traded to the Rays as part of a three-way deal that landed the Yankees Jon Berti on the eve of Opening Day, Rortvedt has gotten off to a strong start.
Through Saturday’s 7-2 win over the Yankees, in which he drew a pair of walks as a pinch-hitter, he is now batting .333 with a .828 OPS in 27 games as part of a catching tandem.
“I think there’s a lot of components,” Rortvedt said after catching up with many of his former teammates on Friday. “I think it’s just me going through the struggles that I have, learning about myself as a player, failing, learning what player I want to be, what player I think I can be, and just trying to show up and be the same player every day, not chasing results. Really showing up and trying to contribute to the team.”
JUPITER, Fla. — A.J. Minter isn’t prepared to declare himself ready for the Opening Day roster, but he took a significant step in that direction on Wednesday.
Patrick Mahomes’ contract continues to provide valuable salary cap relief.
We’ll soon learn how much Falcons owner Arthur Blank values $10 million in cold, hard cash.
TAMPA — Add one more quirk to a Yankees rotation that has become quirky: Without their No. 1 starter, their No. 2 starter likely will not shift ahead in the order.
The Jets were quiet on Day 2 of free agency after adding a new quarterback Monday.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Brett Berard has displayed both a fiery passion and an admirable patience in the last six months of his hockey career, which reached the NHL level for the first time at the end of November.
PORT ST. LUCIE — The baseball calendar says the Mets have about two weeks until Opening Day, but Francisco Lindor’s mind is on another timetable as these dog days of spring training pass.
The man with the best nickname on the team is one of the few Knicks who has made it this far relatively unscathed in the court of public opinion.
For a guy who seemingly is always headed out the door, Darius Slayton has a way of never leaving.
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Rangers stood by their defensive structure in the immediate aftermath of their Weekend of Missed Opportunities, in which they had two chances to capture the top wild-card spot in the East and failed to do so in such disappointing fashion.
PORT ST. LUCIE — Luis Torrens helped inject life into the Mets’ season last year but now faces even larger responsibilities with the team.
The Jets are having a Fields Day.
SACRAMENTO — P.J. Tucker understands his reputation as a hard-nosed player who is willing to vocalize displeasure.