Mets' Robinson Cano gets a little taste of Grapefruit League
The Mets' Robinson Cano lies out during the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Credit: AP/Jeff Roberson
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Robinson Cano went 0-for-1 with a walk as the designated hitter in his first appearance of spring training on Friday in the Mets’ 3-2 victory over the Cardinals at Clover Park.
Cano, 37, is easing into spring training as part of a plan to keep him healthy for the regular season. He’ll DH again Sunday and will make his first start at second base Tuesday, according to manager Luis Rojas.
Once one of the most durable players in the majors, Cano appeared in just 107 games last season because of injuries. He spent the offseason and is spending the early days of spring training trying to strengthen his legs to avoid the kind of nagging injuries that helped ruin his first season in Flushing.
Cano said he is trying to find the (legal) formula that helped his former Yankees teammates such as Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield and others play into their late 30s and sometimes beyond. That’s good news for the Mets since Cano is signed through the 2023 season.
Asked if he was treating this spring training differently, Cano said: “Honestly, yes. I’ve never been in the situation that I was last year, so I want to work more on my legs. Playing in the first five, six games (of spring training), it’s not going to make any difference. I’ve got to work and keep strengthening my legs and get ready for the season.”
Stro good
Marcus Stroman allowed one run (a Paul Goldschmidt opposite-field homer) in two innings in his first start.
“I’m on my five-day routine now,” Stroman said. “So I feel great. Arm feels great. Body feels good.”
Tebow goes boom
With two outs in the ninth, Tim Tebow ran in after a fly ball to leftfield that would have been the final out of the game. But Tebow tripped over his own feet and the ball fell in front of his splayed body. It was scored a double for Max Schrock. Tebow was not injured.
Since the game was on SNY, video of Tebow’s mishap was immediately available on the internet.
Tebow aggressively retied the laces on his right cleat after the play. In the postgame locker room, Tebow’s cleat was tended to by no fewer than three Mets staffers.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
