Derek Jeter’s spring has already sprung.
The Yankees shortstop fielded grounders at the team’s minor league complex on Monday for his first on-field work since his 2013 season was cut short.
Jeter, still recovering from the broken left ankle he sustained during the 2012 ALCS, took 108 grounders on the grass in front of the infield dirt, according to the Associated Press.
Later, Jeter said the ankle is no longer an issue.
“I don’t think about it, and that’s a good thing,” Jeter told the AP.
Jeter, 39, played only 17 games last season. He missed the Yankees’ first 91 games, and upon his return had soreness in his right quadriceps. After a DL stint, he returned July 28 for three games before straining his right calf. He didn’t return to the lineup until Aug. 26 and then lasted only through Sept. 7, when he left a game against the Red Sox for a pinch runner. He was shut down for the season four days later.
Overall, he hit .190 with a homer and seven RBIs in 63 at-bats.
“It’s good to have a normal offseason and get some work in,” Jeter said. “Everything is normal now.”