NEW YORK — Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch heard it on the field while George Springer was taking batting practice.
Two months ago, it would have been a routine round of batting practice with a soundtrack of the bat making noise and Springer making noise to show his agitation at sub-par swings.
Monday was not a regular session, just the first time Springer was able to take batting practice since fracturing his right wrist July 1, when he was hit by a pitch from Kansas City left-hander Franklin Morales.
“It was good to see him on the field,” Hinch said before Monday’s 1-0 loss at the New York Yankees. “He hit early in the hitting group. I joked with him that he looked like a real player again. It was nice to watch him swing the bat.
“He swung the bat well. He started to get agitated about his swing, which is a good sign. He’s getting closer and closer to dialing it up a little bit.
In the buildup to Monday’s batting practice session, Springer took swings like his normal at-bat Friday after swinging a fungo bat early last week. He also hit off a tee and had a few swings at pitches that were flipped to him before hitting soft tosses over the weekend.
He has been cleared for baseball activities since Aug. 14 and the batting practice will continue Tuesday and possibly Wednesday when the Astros have optional batting practice for a day game.
“It’s spring training for him all over again,” Hinch said. “We’re trying to have a crash course in spring training in the span of a week to get him ready to play, and September is here. There’s not much more he can do other than work to get his swing right and get back in the flow of being an everyday baseball player. He’s heading in the right direction.”