Chris Iannetta

Chris Iannetta had been one of the feel-good stories in Yankee camp. The veteran catcher, best known for his years with the Rockies and Angels, hit the stuffing out of the ball in his bid to become the Yankees backup catcher. After seeing him on TV and reading about his success, I was so pleased that was part of the travel squad that made it to the east coast of Florida last week. He was 1 for 2 in the exhibition finale against the Nationals, bringing his spring training average to a nice round .400.

With the Yanks not totally sold on minor league veteran Kyle Higashioka serving as the backup for Gary Sanchez, Iannetta's experience and live bat was opening eyes before the pause button was hit.

But now? It will easily be eight weeks, at best, before players are back in camp. Did Iannetta's 10 game burst change any minds? Can it continue after the long layoff? 10 days ago, especially with a 26-man roster, one could see the advantage of carrying a third catcher, especially one who belted 17 homers in a season as recently as 2017. Will those early Florida games serve the soon-to-be 37 year old well, once the players are called back?
Once again, in this sports year like no other, we face many more questions than answers.

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