TAMPA — Strikeouts are about to become a good thing for Joey Gallo.
The former Yankees outfielder announced on social media Sunday that he is giving pitching a shot after his career as a three-true-outcomes hitter fizzled out.
Gallo was in camp with the White Sox this spring on a minor league deal, but requested his release, The Post’s Jon Heyman reported, so that he could seek a team to pitch for.
“He’s a pretty talented guy, so stranger things have happened,” manager Aaron Boone said Sunday at Steinbrenner Field. “Obviously a really good arm in the outfield. Interesting.”
Boone asked if Gallo was becoming a two-way player, but the 31-year-old indicated otherwise, writing on social media, “It’s been fun outfield. … Just to be clear, I will be pitching.”
“All right,” Boone said. “Good luck, Joey.”
Gallo’s ill-fated Yankees tenure lasted 140 games between 2021 and 2022, which ended with the club trading him to the Dodgers.
In 501 plate appearances as a Yankee, he hit just .159 with a .660 OPS, 25 home runs, 77 walks and 194 strikeouts.
Mark Leiter Jr. threw “30-something” pitches in a bullpen session Sunday instead of facing hitters in live batting practice after he was scratched from his scheduled relief outing Thursday because of a back spasm while warming up.
But Leiter said he was confident he will be ready to start the season on time.
“My velo was normal, game velo,” Leiter said of his bullpen session. “There just was no point in facing live BP with the season so close. I felt good. Didn’t really make sense, I didn’t think. But physically I felt good. If you saw the numbers on the stuff, it would have been just as good as a game.”
Boone said Leiter is scheduled to pitch in a game on Wednesday — which would be his third of the spring — if there are no further issues.
“If it was the regular season, I probably would have been fine,” Leiter said. “But there’s really no reason to push through a little thing. I’ve been feeling great all camp.”
Yankees relief pitcher Mark Leiter Jr Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Trent Grisham and Dominic Smith both clubbed home runs on Sunday, marking the third of the spring for both left-handed hitters. … Cam Schlittler, who has opened some eyes this spring as the next layer of pitching depth in the minor leagues, tossed 4 ²/₃ innings against the Pirates while giving up two runs (one earned).
