CLEARWATER, Fla. -- There has been a lot of buzz about the young pitchers in Yankees camp, with Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodríguez garnering headlines.
Ben Hess should be “right there with them,” in manager Aaron Boone’s view.
The Yankees’ first-round selection in the 2024 MLB Draft, Hess made his second spring appearance on Sunday, hurling two scoreless innings to pick up the win in a 5-3 Grapefruit League victory over the Phillies at BayCare Ballpark.
“It’s been awesome,” Hess said. “I was super excited to get the invite over here, and I’m getting the opportunity to throw in games. Today I got to face the top of the lineup. It’s a really good learning experience.”
Hess, who entered Spring Training ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Yankees' No. 6 prospect, showed composure after permitting a leadoff single, retiring the next six hitters in order. A 6-foot-5, 255-pound product of the University of Alabama, Hess said he’s been pleased with his sweeper and curveball so far.
Boone agreed that those pitches have stood out.
“If he’s behind in the count, he can land a breaking ball,” Boone said. “He’s got two different breaking balls that are really good pitches for him. He’s a big physical guy that has that starter profile. I’ve been excited with what I’ve seen so far.”
Hess began last season with High-A Hudson Valley and made seven starts with Double-A Somerset, where he figures to open 2026. Overall, he was 7-4 with a 3.22 ERA in 22 starts, striking out 139 with 46 walks and 65 hits allowed in 103 1/3 innings.
“He hasn’t been in the system that long, but I’ve liked the strike-throwing,” Boone said. “I feel like that should be a strength for him.”
Hess said he’s focusing on trying to soak up as much information as possible during his time in camp.
“There’s so many great players, and they’re all willing to share what they know and what they’ve experienced,” Hess said. “Really, what I’ve been paying attention to is the routines and what they’re doing in the day-to-day to get where they are.”
Belli’s back
Cody Bellinger said Sunday that his lower back issue is “very mild” and is similar to what he has periodically dealt with throughout his career, including a bout that knocked him out of the lineup for a couple of days last April.
The Yankees plan to have Bellinger go through live batting practice on Tuesday, with an eye toward getting him back into the lineup Thursday against the Twins.
“It seemed like [Saturday] there was quite a bit of improvement,” Boone said. “Just talking to him [Sunday], he was like, ‘I feel pretty good.’”
Short story
Ryan McMahon took ground balls at shortstop on Sunday and is expected to make his first start at the position on Tuesday. He’s also slated to play there on Thursday.
Boone said the Yankees are evaluating McMahon to see if he can handle the position, either as an emergency option or potentially in a larger role as the club prepares to play the season’s first month without Anthony Volpe.
“That’s why I want to get him out there a little bit this spring, especially considering the possible iterations of our roster coming out of camp,” Boone said. “His ability to go do that maybe allows you to go a different way, so we’ll see. I expect he’ll be fine there, as natural a fielder as he is.”
On deck
The Yankees will enjoy their first off-day of the spring on Monday, returning to action Tuesday as they host Team Panama in a 1:05 p.m. ET exhibition at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Max Fried is scheduled to make his first spring start.