With MLB expanding rosters to 30 for the beginning of the regular season, and then weaning down to 28 for two weeks before settling on the new standard of 26, there are a lot of “bubble” players that went from fighting for roster spots in Spring Training to assured of breaking Summer Camp in the Bigs.
Tyler Wade may or may not have been on the Yankees’ bubble back in March assuming health, but he’s in Summer Camp, and he joined Suzyn Waldman and Howie Rose on WFAN over the weekend to discuss how the resumption of play is going for him and the Yankees.
And, true to the form of Wade perhaps becoming a super-utility player for the Yankees over the course of last season and maybe 2020, Waldman recalled a story about the first time she met Wade in Spring Training and asking how a shortstop was going to feel playing second base, and he told her that even back in high school, he knew how he “had to play every position because that’s how you get to the Majors.”
“Even in high school, I wanted to be at the highest level; I saw there was an opportunity to play third base, and I basically lied to them,” Wade remembered. “I said no problem, I can do it, and the rest is history – I guess that was a stepping stone to my career.”
Of course, COVID-19 and MLB’s safety measures were a big part of the conversation, but Wade admitted that even after Aroldis Chapman’s positive test, he’s not concerned about contact tracing.
“I feel safe, to be honest. I feel like our staff did a really good job of learning who he was in contact with and who he was around when he’s not at the Stadium,” Wade said. “When we came in, everything on his side of the locker room was completely sterilized, and that’s a testament to how hard our staff has been working to keep everyone healthy and on the field.”
And, Wade dished on his relationship with fellow SoCal native and cross-town rival Dominic Smith, about how they met in high school and have maintained contact and friendly rivalry since then.
“We met at all the scouting events, and we were basically at the same minor-league levels coming up. He’s been a great player, and I always described him as having middle infielder hands at first base, because he’s so silky-smooth over there,” Wade said. “He’s awesome, and there’s no doubt in my mind he’s going to hit for average and a lot of power, because he knows what he’s doing. Hopefully he gets a chance and does well, but not too well when he plays us!”
You can check out Tyler Wade’s entire interview with Suzyn & Howie below!