ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — In about two weeks Tommy Kahnle will trade in Albany’s frigid weather for some Tampa, Florida sun. The New York Yankees reliever and Shaker High School alum reports for spring training on Feb. 13, but he had some business to attend to in the Capital Region first.

Kahnle held a meet-and-greet at ST Premier Training Facility in downtown Albany Friday night, where he’s been working out, and preparing for the upcoming Major League Baseball season. The meet-and-greet was part of a fundraiser at the facility for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Student Visionaries of the Year Campaign – a fundraiser initiated by Christian Brothers Academy sophomores Anthony D’Aloia and Lorenzo Lanni.

The 33-year-old Latham native is anxiously awaiting his trip down south, but before he left, he wanted to ensure he took some time to give back to the community he calls home. “I’m pretty pumped up to get down there,” said Kahnle. “I’m leaving in a week to get down to Florida, so I’ll be pretty excited to get down there, get outside, throw; haven’t been able to throw outside for a while. So, it should be fun to get down there. It’s important to be helpful with your community. Me, being from Upstate New York, and being from Latham, I love this area; I’ve always loved this area, whether it’s cold or not – it’s pretty cold today. But, I feel like it’s really important to give back, and I think this is a good way to do it.”

This will be Kahnle’s second stint in the Bronx. He was traded from the Chicago White Sox to the Yankees mid-way through the 2017 season, and pitched with the Bombers until 2020. The organization announced he signed a two-year deal on Dec. 21 after spending the 2022 in Los Angeles with the Dodgers.