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Luzerne County Council praises Forty Fort’s plans for county sports complex

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Our View: Congratulations to American Legion on 100 years of service to us all

<p>TAMPA, Fla. &#8212; Even though opening day is just over two weeks away, Aaron Hicks isn&#8217;t too worried.</p><p>The New York Yankees outfielder has been sidelined with a muscle injury in his lower back since March 2 and received a cortisone shot on Monday.</p><p>&#8220;If I need to get at-bats I can just go down to the minor league side and crank out a lot of at-bats with them,&#8221; Hicks said. &#8220;But no, I feel pretty good today. No pain is a big thing. For me as far when it comes to swinging, when I start to do something like that I&#8217;ll know for sure.&#8221;</p><p>Hicks was feeling good when he got to the ballpark Tuesday afternoon ahead of the Yankees 8-7 win over the Baltimore Orioles. The key will be how he feels after he begins baseball activities.</p><p>Whether it&#8217;s taking swings or throwing, Hicks has had hiccups in the past when it came to both activities. If Hicks can get through both this time around, he&#8217;ll be able to work his way back into the lineup.</p><p><strong>Wotherspoon pitches in relief</strong></p><p>Orioles reliever and Crestwood grad Matt Wotherspoon entered Tuesday night&#8217;s game in a big spot.</p><p>The O&#8217;s were up 6-5 in the bottom of the fifth inning, but the Yankees were threatening. Greg Bird stood on second base with Gary Sanchez on first. Troy Tulowitzki was at the plate with two outs.</p><p>But Wotherspoon escaped the jam without any damage.</p><p>He got Tulowitzki into a 1-1 count and the veteran shortstop lined out to Baltimore shortstop Richie Martin in the hole. It was the only three pitches Wotherspoon threw.</p><p>&#8220;I actually felt very comfortable on the mound,&#8221; Wotherspoon said. &#8220;Fastball, I guess I left it a little middle and he certainly didn&#8217;t miss it.</p><p>&#8220;Definitely you hear that, Troy Tulowitzki, and right when I was in college that was one of the biggest names in baseball and still is. The guy&#8217;s an incredible baseball player. It&#8217;s just fun to watch him out there.&#8221;</p><p>The former Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders reliever &#8212; Wotherspoon was traded to the Orioles in July 2018 &#8212; has a 3.00 ERA in four games this spring. He&#8217;s struck out three batters in three innings.</p><p><strong>Farquhar highlights 8 Yanks heading to minors</strong></p><p>Despite a 27.00 ERA in three appearances this spring, Boone believes reliever Danny Farquhar is closer to regaining his big-league form than the numbers indicate.</p><p>But before he can get there, Farquhar will continue to shape his game in the minor league camp. The 32-year-old reliever, who suffered brain hemorrhage caused by a ruptured aneurysm while pitching for the Chicago White Sox last April, was one of eight Yankees re-assigned to the minor league camp on Tuesday.</p><p>He&#8217;s joined by pitchers Chance Adams, Cale Coshow, Joe Harvey, first baseman Mike Ford, infielder Thairo Estrada, outfielder Trey Amburgey and catcher Kellin Deglan.</p><p>&#8220;I think he just needs to pitch,&#8221; Boone said. &#8220;We saw enough that suggests he can get back to where he was. He didn&#8217;t get great results, obviously, in the game, but we saw a lot in the (simulation) game &#8212; how some of his pitches were playing. So he just needs to pitch.</p><p>&#8220;I think getting him over there and getting him regular work will do some good because he can help us, potentially.&#8221;</p><p>In fact, Boone saw enough of Farquhar that he left the door open for the reliever to be ready to join one of the Yankees&#8217; minor league affiliates when camp breaks instead of remaining in Tampa for extended spring training.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll see what the best plan for him, but, no, I could see him ready to go with a team,&#8221; Boone said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks received a cortisone shot in has back on Monday. Hicks has been out with a lower back muscle injury since March 2. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_AP_19058712266349.jpg</photo0><caption0>New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks received a cortisone shot in has back on Monday. Hicks has been out with a lower back muscle injury since March 2. </caption0><photoCredit0>Lynne Sladky | AP file photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By DJ Eberle</p><p>djeberle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach DJ Eberle at 570-991-6398 or on Twitter @ByDJEberle</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Yankees Spring Training Notebook: Aaron Hicks not concerned about opening day