What can Tulowitzki bring to the Yankees?

It may have been a meaningless at-bat in a meaningless game, but that wasn’t the case for Troy Tulowitzki.

It was his first at-bat in a year and a half, his first at-bat as a Yankee and maybe most importantly, his first at-bat against the team that cut him loose. Facing former teammate Marcus Stroman, Tulowitzki got a flat 0-1 fastball and drove the opposite way over the right field wall. He made sure to let the Jays know how he felt, yelling passionately toward the third base dugout as he rounded the bases.

“That was the team that basically told me I couldn’t play anymore,” Tulowitzki told reporters after the game. “It’s spring training, it is what it is, but it was a big day for [me].”

“I’ve been thinking about that at-bat for a long, long time… anybody who tells you you’re done, you’re going to have some little extra fire.”

It’s the extra fire that helped make Tulowitzki one of the best players in baseball at one point. But times have changed.

Tulowitzki was released by the Blue Jays in December after parts of three injury-plagued seasons. Toronto will pay him approximately $38 million to play against them with the division rival Yankees, who signed him to a one-year contract in early January for the veteran’s minimum of $555,000. With a chip on his shoulder and a clean bill of health, TSN.ca takes a look at what the five-time All-Star can contribute in 2019.

Let’s start with how he got there. Tulowitzki missed all of last season after having surgery to remove bone spurs in both his heels. His last big league game came on July 28, 2017 when he was helped off the field by teammates after stepping on the foot of first baseman C.J. Cron while trying to beat out a ground ball. Tulowitzki admitted this spring that injuries have taken a toll on him.

“Taking a full year off was tough for me,” Tulowitzki said near the start of spring training. “But I think it’s built some character, it’s built some toughness and it makes you appreciate it that much more, being out there.”

Didi Gregorius, New York’s regular shortstop, will be out until at least July after having Tommy John surgery last October. That’s a long time from now and something that demands an interim solution for a competing team like the Yanks. Gleyber Torres played shortstop for the majority of his minor league career but played second base in 109 of his 123 big league games. Assuming he stays there and doesn’t shift over, Tulowitzki was brought in to occupy short until Gregorius gets back.

“Scouts that I highly respect were very pleased with what they saw and very excited by the workouts that he put himself through in front of them on multiple occasions,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said after the signing.

“It doesn’t mean we’re going to get vintage Troy Tulowitzki from the Colorado Rockies years when he was there, but it’s exciting to dream on what he might be capable of when his health is there on a consistent basis because he was quite the player for quite a long time.”

He was quite the player indeed.

From 2009 to 2015, Tulowitzki averaged 23 home runs, 75 RBI and had a slash line of .304/.373/.535. He also made the All-Star Team five times, received MVP votes five times and won two Gold Gloves. That list of achievements looks good for anybody, let alone a middle infielder. Coors Field aside, he was unquestionably one of the best and most valuable players in baseball.  

*= All-Star nomination 

But even during that stretch, durability was an issue. He averaged just 115 games a season and played in more than 150 contests just once. After his trade to Toronto in July of 2015, the injuries kept on coming, but his production didn’t.

During his time with the Jays, Tulowitzki never really got back to his former self, hitting .250 with 36 home runs in 238 games over three-and-a-half seasons. But that doesn’t mean he won’t find some magic in the Bronx.

His manager agrees.

“One thing we noticed right away is there’s a confidence in how he’s feeling,” Aaron Boone said. “In getting to know him and talking to him this winter, he hasn’t been healthy the last couple of years. I think he knows he’s healthy and now for such a great player, I think he’s kind of hungry and eager to prove that he can do this.”

He’s shown flashes in spring training – like his homer off Stroman – but has struggled a bit with consistency (.242, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 15 K in 14 spring games), which is understandable considering how much time he’s missed. In a Yankees’ batting order that’s one of the best in the business, Tulowitzki likely won’t be expected to be a table-setter or a middle-of-the-order bat like he was in Toronto. So there won’t be as much pressure.

But then again, it’s New York – there’s always pressure.

Given the price tag, almost anything above replacement-level will be a win for the Yankees. For Tulowitzki, simply being on the field isn’t enough.

"I've done a lot of things in my career," he said. "The one thing that's missing, I've been close, I haven't won a ring."

With a Yankees team well-positioned for another deep postseason run, he should get the chance.