TAMPA, Fla. — Yankees outfield prospect Slade Heathcott was penciled into the lineup for Thursday’s road exhibition game against the Pirates. But as the team was leaving for Bradenton, manager Joe Girardi erased Heathcott’s name.
Said Girardi, “He missed the bus.”
No young player who is trying to open eyes in spring training can afford such a transgression, Heathcott least of all. The now 25-year-old battled alcohol abuse as a teenager, a problem that continued after the Yankees drafted him in the first round in 2009 and signed him for a $2.2-million bonus.
In his first spring training, Heathcott overslept and missed an exhibition game.