TAMPA — Following a physical Monday morning, Jon Niese put on a Yankees uniform and awaited instructions of where to go at George M. Steinbrenner Field on his first day with the club.
Niese, the former Mets lefty who is in camp on a minor league contract that would pay him $1.25 million if he makes the team and includes $750,000 in incentives, didn’t know how Joe Girardi planned to use him.
By the end of the day, Girardi was very clear the 30-year-old Niese, who has made 197 career starts and worked in relief just 14 times, has entered the competition for a bullpen spot.
“That’s how we envision using him,’’ Girardi said. “He’s one of those guys, if he’s in the bullpen, he can do left on left or he can give you distance. As of right now, we aren’t looking at him as a starter. We have the five guys vying for the two spots. We would look at him more long and short.’’
If the Yankees don’t offer Niese the $100,000 retention bonus by the end of spring training, Niese can opt out. If they offer and Niese accepts, he can opt out in mid-May.
“I’m here to pitch to the best of my ability and make the team,’’ said Niese, who has a 69-68 career record with a 4.07 ERA in 211 games with the Mets and Pirates. “From the outside looking in, it was a good opportunity. Whatever the role, I want to make the ballclub.’’
Other lefties in front of closer Aroldis Chapman are Tommy Layne and Chasen Shreve. Niese had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee last year.
As workers hurry to get GMS Field ready for Friday’s exhibition season opener against the Phillies, they trudge around wearing hard hats to protect from falling objects. And they are doubling as head gear to prevent getting drilled by batting practice homers.
“The balls are flying, I can tell you that. We worry about the construction workers. You get a guy on top of that elevator shaft and we have players that are getting close to going up there,’’ Joe Girardi said. “The ball is really coming off the bat from our young players, and that’s exciting to see.’’
For batting practice freaks, Aaron Judge is must-see action. He drove the ball off the batting background in center field and off the video board in left-center.
Lefty Justus Sheffield impressed throwing batting practice on the back field.
“He had a good slider and good change. Everything was good,’’ Didi Gregorius said of the 20-year-old acquired from the Indians in the Andrew Miller deal.
When Clint Frazier was obtained, the Yankees raved about the right-handed hitting outfielder’s bat speed. That was on display Monday, and it’s real.
Yankees avoided a disaster when Gary Sanchez barely missed stepping on a ball during a pop foul drill behind home plate.
After watching too many pitchers botch fielding plays last season, there is more crispness to the Yankees’ pitchers-fielding practices this camp.
“It has been a focus of ours because we weren’t good. We’re trying to clean up some things,’’ Joe Girardi said.
Dellin Betances visited with pitching coach Larry Rothschild this offseason to find a way to cure the pitcher’s fielding and throwing problems.
Jacoby Ellsbury is due in camp Tuesday, and Joe Girardi plans on the center fielder and leadoff hitter working out with the team. Ellsbury missed the first two days of full-squad workouts to be with his wife, Kelsey, who gave birth to the couple’s second child last Friday.
Nick Swisher arrived in camp as a guest spring training instructor and worked with the outfielders.
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