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Rachel Balkovec was hired as the manager of the Tampa Tarpons — the Class-A affiliate of the New York Yankees — this past offseason. She will make history in 2022 as the first female manager in affiliated professional baseball history.
This week in spring training, she was struck in the face with a batted ball during an indoor batting cage drill. In the wake of this, she’ll be forced to miss Tampa’s exhibition opener on Thursday. She should, however, be good to go for their regular-season opener on April 8 against Lakeland.
“All things considered, I feel very fortunate,” she said in a statement. “The doctors have asked me to be smart about limiting my activities over the next several days, and I plan on following their guidance. As much as I already miss being around the players and staff, I do not anticipate this affecting my role and responsibilities for the regular season.”
Balkovec fortunately avoided a concussion, per the team, but is dealing with some swelling in her face that needs to subside before she’s able to rejoin the team in an official capacity.
Balkovec, 34, spent the previous two seasons working at the complex level with the Yankees as a hitting coach. Before joining the Yankees, she served as a strength and conditioning coach with both the St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros organizations. She’s also coached in the Australian Baseball League and coached in the 2021 Futures Game.
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