Yankees’ Juan Soto feeling ‘at home’ ahead 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’s your crew, too.

Asked how Juan Soto will match right into a crew with Aaron Judge because the acknowledged famous person and Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton entrenched as veteran leaders, Boone mentioned on a Zoom name with reporters Wednesday, “My message to him is: It’s his clubhouse, too, and we want to learn and grow from you and want you to feel empowered to say and do whatever you feel like you need to do.”

Acquired from the San Diego Padres in a blockbuster offseason commerce, Soto brings his highly effective bat, elite on-base potential and Soto Shuffle to a lineup that struggled to attain runs in 2023. With the Padres, there have been reviews through the season because the crew’s playoff hopes slowly disintegrated that some 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’re a player coming over to a team for the first time, I’m sure you’re toeing the water a little bit, getting a feel for everything,” Boone mentioned. “I do feel like the team from a bonding standpoint has come together really well this spring in short order. I would include Juan in that. He seems very comfortable, he seems happy. I think our leaders do a great job of making guys feel at home. From a leadership and what kind of vocal role he takes, that probably still remains to be seen.”

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

“He didn’t get a ton of results here the last couple of weeks, which I often think with a hitter of his caliber isn’t such a bad thing from a timing standpoint,” Boone mentioned. “Every hitter goes through little lulls at different points in the season, so hoping he got that out of the way here, but I think he’s ready to roll. He’s in a great mental state and I can’t wait to watch him go out and tear up the Bronx.”

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

“I’m here to try to win the World Series. All of my energy and all of my focus is on trying to help us be the best possible team we can be and our goal is to be a world champion,” Boone mentioned. “I don’t look at like, ‘This has to happen for me to save my job.’ I’m in competition 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 mentioned Gleyber Torres will hit leadoff on Opening Day with Soto and Judge hitting second and third.