Go touch grass: Why Marcus Stroman's routine includes barefoot strolls in the outfield

Shortly before a recent start in Toronto, Marcus Stroman emerged from the Yankees’ clubhouse, walked up the dugout stairs, and stepped onto the field without any socks or shoes.

The starting pitcher enjoys taking barefoot strolls in the outfield grass multiple times a week. On this particular day, however, Rogers Centre’s artificial turf had to suffice.

“It works best on grass,” Luke Weaver told the Daily News of grounding, which he and Stroman incorporate in their routines. “Sometimes we get some turf. It just feels good to get out of your socks, get out of your shoes, and just kind of get some of that sensory type of feel to your feet.”

Grounding is a technique that is meant to reconnect someone with the earth. Also known as earthing, some studies claim it can help with inflammation, healing, blood flow and sleep, among other benefits.

A quick Google search will tell you that more research needs to be done on grounding, but Weaver and Stroman have bought into what’s already out there. More than anything, though, they just find it peaceful.

“I’m a big believer that in order to be clear out there, you have to be the best version of yourself mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally,” Stroman told The News. “Grounding, I feel like it just kind of coincides with my breathing and meditation practices. All things that are meant to decrease stress and anxiety, which we all deal with and walk through life with. I think everyone’s kind of searching for a calm.

“You come in after walking barefoot, you just feel better. You could feel your whole central nervous system just kind of calming down.”

While Stroman and Weaver are the only current Yankees who regularly ground themselves, the practice has become more popular in baseball over the years.

Other known participants include the Mets’ Adam Ottavino, Boston’s Triston Casas, St. Louis’ Matt Carpenter and several members of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

“For me, I know that there’s some science behind it, obviously, but I’m not trying to get too wrapped up in that,” Ottavino, a former Yankee, told The Boston Globe in 2021. “Basically, I’m just trying to connect with the environment I’m going to be in every day, and it just kind of helps.”

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