Good News: Joey Gallo Immediately Call Up For Apology….

Luis Gil and Will Warren stated equally strong cases in their quests to win the fifth starter job out of spring.

Today’s game got off to an inauspicious start when we learned that Anthony Rizzo would be a late scratch with lat tightness. Neither player nor manager seemed too concerned, and it didn’t appear to affect the play of those who took the field. Fifth-starter finalists Luis Gil and Will Warren were fantastic, while a combination of small ball, stolen bases, and stellar defense brought victory for the Yankees over the Mets, 5-3.

Gerrit Cole’s absence for the first 10-12 weeks as he recovers from elbow inflammation has opened the door for one of four pitchers to win the fifth starter job, and Gil has been the standout candidate of that competition this spring. Some recent reports have even narrowed the field down to just Gil and Warren.

With DJ LeMahieu’s status for Opening Day uncertain as he deals with a bone bruise in his right foot, the Yankees’ plans of who to bat leadoff become a bit murkier. Gleyber Torres has been red-hot this spring and stated his case for the role, leading off the first with a walk and stealing second base.

Gil had his lone hiccup in the second, starting with a leadoff single to Starling Marte. After striking out Francisco Alvarez, Gil missed with a 1-0 heater to Mark Vientos, the Mets’ top prospect sending it over the wall to the opposite field for a two-run shot. It was the young infielder’s team-leading fifth home run of the spring as he tries to prove he belongs on the MLB roster after the team signed J.D. Martinez to be their DH. The Mets threatened for more, but Juan Soto helped limit the damage by making a leaping grab at the wall.

The Yankees responded an inning later, Torres reaching with one out in the third on a hit by pitch followed by an opposite field single from Soto. After Aaron Judge struck out, Giancarlo Stanton stepped to the plate. The rejuvenated slugger has looked sharper with each spring training game, launching three home runs against the Pirates on Wednesday, and he got his team on the board with a single to left to plate Torres.

Gallo spent parts of two seasons in the Bronx. His results across 140 games and 501 plate appearances weren’t good. The slugger slashed .159/.291/.368 with 25 home runs, 46 RBI and 65 runs scored. He also added 194 strikeouts during this time.