TAMPA, Fla. — Kyle Higashioka grew up surfing off the bluffs in Huntington Beach, Calif., which proclaims itself as Surf City. He can lay down some fierce heavy metal licks on his electric guitar, a skill that might be given away by the Iron Maiden socks he wears for workouts. His Spanish isn’t bad, either.

In many ways, Higashioka grew up a quintessential Californian. But recently he has begun to explore his family’s roots — by learning to speak Japanese.

“My dad has always been pressing me to learn,” said Higashioka, a fourth-generation Japanese-American on his father’s side. “This spring, finally, I thought maybe I should try.”

There was also some pragmatic motivation for Higashioka, a catcher who was elevated to the Yankees’ 40-man roster for the first time after a standout 2016 season in the minor leagues: He thought learning Japanese might help him communicate with Masahiro Tanaka, the ace of the Yankees’ pitching staff.