SARASOTA, Fla. — Gary Sanchez’s spring started much like most of his 2018: poorly.
The catcher entered Saturday night’s game against Baltimore just 1-for-11 with a homer, no walks and five strikeouts in his first four games. On the positive side, Sanchez has looked good defensively — including in Saturday’s 6-1 win over the Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium.
“I really like what I’ve seen, especially on the catching side,’’ manager Aaron Boone said. “His work behind the scenes has been strong. Now, it’s about getting regular at-bats. … He’s trying to find his timing offensively.”
And that was before Sanchez made two standout plays on grounders in front of the plate on Saturday, quickly pouncing on a bunt in front of the plate by Anthony Santander in the third and then making a strong throw to first.