TAMPA, Fla. — More than a week after she was hit in the face by a batted ball, Rachel Balkovec is doing better but still sidelined, according to Yankees Vice President of Player Development Kevin Reese.
“I saw her last night. She’s starting to feel better. I think she’s getting close to being back on the field,” Reese said.
She was hit in the face during a hitting drill in the batting cages at the Yankees’ Player Development site on March 22. Reese said she did not suffer a concussion but had some other medical issues.
Balkovec was scheduled to make history this spring as the first woman to manage a team in affiliated baseball. The Yankees announced she would manage the low Class-A Tarpons this season.
Reese would not say if she would be ready for the Tarpons’ season opener April 8.
“Just knowing Rachel the way I do, I don’t know. You know that the doctors have to sign off on some things and whatnot,” Reese said. “But I think she’s eager to get back out there.”
Balkovec joined the Yankees organization in November 2019 as a minor league hitting coach, becoming the first woman to be named to that role in the history of professional baseball. She was followed a few days later by Rachel Folden of the Chicago Cubs organization; there will be 19 women in uniform this baseball season.
Prior to joining the Yankees, Balkovec spent three seasons with the Houston Astros organization, serving as the strength and conditioning coach for Double-A Corpus Christi in 2018 and the Rookie-level GCL Astros in 2017. She also worked as the Latin American strength and conditioning coordinator from 2016-17. Prior to that, she was the minor league strength and conditioning coordinator for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2014-15.
Balkovec was also the first woman to be hired as a full-time strength and conditioning coach in affiliated baseball.
“All things considered, I feel very fortunate,” Balkovec said in a statement she released through the team. “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.”
