With Opening Day a few weeks away, the Yankees are fairly banged up.
Giancarlo Stanton is out indefinitely with tennis elbows. DJ LeMahieu is sidelined for a few weeks due to a calf strain. Luis Gil’s lat strain has him looking at a summer return.
A handful of other Yankees are hurt, yet there’s only a few roster spots up for grabs with exhibition play well underway. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the group Aaron Boone could have at his disposal when the Bombers open their season against the Brewers on March 27.
(Keep in mind there’s still time for external moves, and teams experience turnover as spring ends and cuts are made).
Catchers (3): Austin Wells, J.C. Escarra, Ben Rice
The Yankees seem poised to carry three catchers with Stanton out. That’s not unheard of, but it’s also not the norm.
What’s even more unusual is that all three of the players mentioned above swing from the left side.
With Wells entrenched as the starter — and an option to lead off — Escarra and Rice can provide pop off the bench and in the DH spot when they’re not catching. Escarra, a journeyman with no big league experience, established himself as an elite defensive catcher at Triple-A last season, while Rice can also help out at first base.
Should the Yankees go with this group, Alex Jackson would be the one left out. A strong defender and light hitter, Jackson is in camp as an NRI after being acquired in the Jose Trevino trade.
Infielders (6): 1B Paul Goldschmidt, 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr., UTL Oswaldo Cabrera, SS Anthony Volpe, UTL Oswald Peraza, 1B Dominic Smith
Most of the Yankees’ infield is set. And if they don’t add a third baseman before Opening Day, so are their options at the position.
LeMahieu had a presumed edge in the battle for the hot corner before getting hurt. Now the position is down to Cabrera and Peraza, who could start off in a true platoon situation. The uber-versatile Cabrera is better from the left side of the plate, though the slick-fielding Peraza has yet to show that he can hit major league pitching. Peraza, a former top prospect, is out of options, so he will be exposed to waivers if he does not crack the Opening Day roster.
Smith, meanwhile, has set himself up for a bench role thanks to a sweet-swinging spring and the aforementioned injuries. He’s another backup option at first, and he can add some pop to the bench. Another NRI, Smith will have to be added to the Yankees’ 40-man roster, but that shouldn’t be hard to do with Stanton and Gil candidates for the 60-day IL.
Outfielders (4): RF Aaron Judge, CF Cody Bellinger, LF Jasson Domínguez, CF Trent Grisham
The Yankees’ outfield plans are pretty straight forward.
Judge, Bellinger and Domínguez are the starters, but Grisham should see plenty of time in center with Judge expected to take some DH at-bats in Stanton’s absence. Bellinger can slide from center to right on those days.
Domínguez’s defense in left remains a work in progress though. The Yankees would like to see some improvement there between now and Opening Day after some gaffes this spring and last September.
Smith and Cabrera are capable of playing the outfield, too. Everson Pereira, not rostered in this projection, could also play a part this season.
Starters (5): RHP Gerrit Cole, LHP Max Fried, LHP Carlos Rodón, RHP Clarke Schmidt, RHP Marcus Stroman
With Gil on the shelf, Marcus Stroman pencils in as the fifth starter following an offseason of trade rumors. There’s a chance the Yankees could still move Stroman and a portion of his $18 million salary — they’d be happy to offload some of that money — but attempts to deal the righty have been unsuccessful.
Should the Yankees find a taker for Stroman, they have depth options in veteran Carlos Carrasco, young right-hander Will Warren and NRI Allan Winans.
Bullpen (8): CL Devin Williams, RHP Luke Weaver, LHP Tim Hill, RHP Ian Hamilton, RHP Fernando Cruz, RHP Mark Leiter Jr., LHP Tyler Matzek, RHP Yoendrys Gómez
Should they stay healthy and with the Yankees, Williams, Weaver, Hill, Hamilton, Cruz and Leiter are locked into the club’s bullpen. It’s the last two spots that are available.
Here, one goes to Tyler Matzek, which would give the Yankees a second lefty in their pen. A decorated postseason pitcher who overcame the yips early in his career, Matzek wasn’t quite himself after returning from Tommy John surgery last year. However, he’s earned rave reviews from Boone this spring.
Gómez gets a nod because he is out of options. Like Peraza, he’ll be exposed to waivers if he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster. The righty has been touted as a starting pitching prospect, but he’s dealt with injuries and has only pitched out of the bullpen in three MLB games. He’s yet to start this spring, too.
Another candidate for Gómez’s spot is Clayton Beeter, though it’s unclear if he’ll be ready for Opening Day after an offseason shoulder issue put him behind schedule at the start of camp. And given the dominance he’s displayed this spring, could the Yankees roster Warren in a Michael King-type role? Maybe, though taking him off a starter’s regimen could hurt their rotation depth.
There’s potential for crowding in the Yankees’ bullpen down the road, as Jake Cousins (forearm), Jonathan Loáisiga (elbow surgery rehab), JT Brubaker (broken ribs) and Scott Effross (hamstring) are dealing with injuries.
