TAMPA — When it comes to Tommy John patients in Yankees camp, Gerrit Cole and, to a lesser extent, Clarke Schmidt, are commanding the most attention.
As for pitching prospects, Elmer Rodríguez, Carlos Lagrange and Ben Hess are the main attractions.
But there’s another hurler who belongs to both groups. That would be Chase Hampton.
The 24-year-old underwent full reconstruction of his ulnar collateral ligament just before Cole did last spring. The operation left Hampton with nothing to do but lift weights, binge movies and TV shows, and play “Rocket League” for a while, but he’s now carefully progressing through his rehab process.
“I’m kind of taking it slow,” Hampton said Saturday.
The righty spoke after throwing his eighth bullpen since the surgery. Hampton called the session a “tester,” a chance to add some velocity and see how it felt. His fastball seemed to be sitting 90-92 mph.
“I’ve seen a couple of his bullpens now, and it keeps ticking up,” Aaron Boone said. “I know he is kind of chomping at the bit for a little bit more because he’s starting to feel really good.”
Neither the manager nor Hampton were sure what the pitcher’s next steps are beyond throwing some more bullpens this week. However, Hampton, who also missed time in 2024 with a flexor strain and a groin injury, feels good about where he’s at.
Not only physically, but mentally as well. The latter is due to the Yankees adding Hampton to their 40-man roster over the offseason. That move protected him from the Rule 5 Draft and signaled that the Yankees still have high hopes for a guy who was a consensus top-100 prospect before the barrage of injuries.
“It took a lot of weight off my shoulders,” Hampton admitted. “It kind of puts me in a perspective of, ‘I’ve got some time to get my feet under me and not have to worry about going out there and performing so early.’ So I feel like right now, I’m in a really good spot to continue what I’m doing and continue to get better each day.”
Added Boone: “I think there’s still a lot of reason to be excited as he gets closer to being back to full bore.”
Boone also noted that Hampton was successful when healthy in 2024, recording a 2.41 ERA over 18.2 innings between Rookie ball, High-A and Double-A. The year before, he posted a 3.63 ERA over 20 starts split between High-A and Double-A.
“We obviously don’t want to put too much pressure on him and want him focused on getting healthy and staying on the field. Obviously, that’s been a challenge the last couple years,” pitching coach Matt Blake said. “He’s obviously got the talent level to help us if he can get some good reps in and continue to build on it.”
SCHLITTLER RETURNING TO MOUND SOON
On Sunday, Aaron Boone said the plan is for Cam Schlittler (back/lat) to throw off flat ground again on Monday. He’s then expected to return to the mound on Tuesday.
RICE RAKES
Ben Rice (neck) took live batting practice on Sunday, a welcomed sign after some poor sleep left him achy and absent from swinging sessions for a few days. Despite some soreness, he had been catching during that span.
CABRERA ‘FULL-GO’
Oswaldo Cabrera, who suffered a season-ending ankle fracture last May, said that he expects to be a full go this spring. He’s a candidate for the last spot on the Yankees’ bench, as the versatile utilityman is positioned as the team’s backup shortstop.
