New York Yankees designated hitter Alex Rodriguez was rehabbing a hamstring injury on Wednesday and working himself back into game shape. After getting some reps in with the Double-A Trenton Thunder, Rodriguez was reintroduced to one of the Thunder’s bat dogs, Derby.
Derby gets Dustin Fowler's bat, while @AROD waits to get in the batters box at tonight's @TrentonThunder game. pic.twitter.com/FG0yPmRgbB
— Eric Lipsman (@E_Lipsman) May 26, 2016
Yes, the Thunder have dogs who pick up errant bats. That is one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen on a baseball field. Derby is the son of bat dog legend Chase, who served as the Trenton’s mascot for years before his death in 2013. Derby’s son, Rookie, is also a bat dog in training for the team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGKFGo8cIj4
Rodriguez had previously met Derby in one of his previous minor league rehab stints back in 2013. The Yankees slugger took to Twitter to share a photo of a younger Derby honing his craft as a bat dog.
Hey, can I have my bat back? #SoMuchForTheBatBoy #BatDog #trentonthunder pic.twitter.com/GgBq5mlINF
— Alex Rodriguez (@AROD) May 25, 2016
Rodriguez seemed to be having fun with Derby taking his bats. It’s a nice touch by Trenton to include bat dogs as everybody loves a cute dog. Having them pick up bats on the baseball field is adorable. I wish Major League Baseball teams would make like Trenton and implement having dogs as bat boys. Who wouldn’t love seeing a pup at the ballpark?
[ESPN]
