TAMPA — The reality of an extended layoff is sinking in for the Yankees.
Aaron Boone left George M. Steinbrenner Field on Tuesday and said he was driving back to Connecticut to be with his family and a handful of players — including Gerrit Cole — headed out with bags, seemingly unsure of when they might return.
As much as any team in the majors, the Yankees are a team in flux, with a second minor league player testing positive for coronavirus, according to a source on Tuesday.
Like every other MLB team, the Yankees are keeping their facility open, but they are allowing players, coaches and other staff members to return home if they choose.
Zack Britton said he intended to spend a few days with his family before returning. But at least some will stick around.
“Most guys wouldn’t have a workout alternative in Tampa [and] maybe even not at home,’’ Britton said. “So guys are in a tricky spot.”
He noted many players train at universities during the offseason and those aren’t available now because they’ve been shut down, as well.
Britton added the Players Association recommended to players they “go wherever they felt comfortable for the next four-to-six weeks,” whether that’s the facility, their home or the team’s home city.
Whenever the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-recommended bans of large gatherings are lifted and baseball can resume in some form, it’s impossible to know where teams will head.
“I don’t know if we’ll be back here [in Florida],’’ Britton said. “I don’t think anybody does right now. There’s a lot of unknowns.’’
Boone said he wanted to get back to his family, which is why he chose to leave.
Cashman declined to address the second coronavirus case as he left Steinbrenner Field, but said he’s remaining in Tampa.
“The only way I’m leaving is if things are OK,’’ Cashman said of the coronavirus situation. “If things are not OK, I’m here.”
That figures to be for a while, since the minor league complex was scheduled to be closed for another week even before the second positive test.
In the meantime, players on the 40-man roster will do as they see fit — which won’t be easy, given the uncertainty.
“Everything seems to be changing on the daily,’’ J.A. Happ said. “I’ve certainly never gone through anything like it. I don’t think any of us have. Again, it’s starting to hit home a little more every day, it seems like.”
That’s one of the reasons no one is looking too far ahead.
“We don’t know how long this delay is gonna be,’’ Britton said. “If you’re talking about it’s gonna be the end of May or June or something like that, guys might take a few weeks and go home. You don’t want to constantly be training at a really, really high level if we’re not gonna start action for another two months or so. You want guys healthy. It’s gonna be tricky.”