Re-examining the Yankees Last Roster Battles

Before the first game of Spring Training, I previewed what the Yankees roster could look like provided they made it through spring relatively healthy. Now that Opening Day is less than two weeks away, let’s once again examine the battles for the last roster spots. The starting lineup looks the same:

Sanchez C

Voit 1B

DJ 2B

Torres SS

Gio 3B

Frazier LF

Hicks CF

Judge RF

Stanton DH

BENCH SPOTS:

Assuming that the injury to Kyle Higashioka doesn’t force him to the Injured List, he will be the backup catcher while Brett Gardner will be the “oft-used” fourth outfielder. This leaves Mike Tauchman, Mike Ford, Miguel Andujar, Andrew Velazquez, Derek Dietrich, Jay Bruce, Thairo Estrada, Greg Allen, and Tyler Wade to battle for the final two bench spots. Before taking on the Phillies on Friday night, the Yankees sent Ford and Estrada to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes, while Andujar is dealing with yet another injury. Greg Allen is currently hitting .091 on the spring, and does not have a spot on the 40-man roster. Andrew Velazquez is hitting .385, but he too does not have a spot on the 40-man, and his poor Major League track record gave him an uphill battle before camp even opened. That leaves Tauchman, Bruce, Dietrich, and Wade battling for the last two spots. It was previously believed that Wade would have the upper hand given his ability to play shortstop and his speed. However, the Yankees experimented with Gio Urshela at shortstop this week, and at least publicly sound confident in his ability to hold the spot down in a pinch. The Yankees have four off days in the season’s first month which could limit how many days off they’ll need to give Gleyber Torres which could make it easier to use Gio as the primary backup at short. This would leave Wade off the roster, but he has an option remaining meaning the Yankees would not risk losing him like they would the other three (Tauchman is out of options, Bruce has a March 25^th opt out, but it is unknown if Dietrich has an opt out). Wade would be on the taxi squad if the Yankees go this route. Mike Tauchman showed a lot of potential in 2019 before struggling last year while dealing with an injury. He is also a great defender, but would seem a bit redundant with Brett Gardner already on the roster. Meanwhile, Jay Bruce is an imposing lefty power bat who is having the best spring training for the three, and figures to thrive attacking the short porch in the Bronx. Unlike Tauchman, his value is almost solely tied to his bat, but he can play first base to relieve Luke Voit and keep DJ LeMahieu at second. If the Yankees could keep both Tauchman and Bruce, I believe they would, however, that would leave them without a backup infielder. Thus, I expect one of Bruce and Tauchman to make the roster while one of Wade and Dietrich make the roster. While Dietrich’s numbers so far are subpar, Aaron Boone recently raved about the shape he is in and how he has looked at the plate. Dietrich can play first, second, third, and the corner outfield positions, but lacks any Major League experience at short.

Prediction: If the Yankees are comfortable with either Dietrich or Gio backing up shortstop (very possible given the shift often positions them in the shortstop’s normal spot anyway) I think the Yankees carry Dietrich on the roster. He provides far more offensive thump than Wade while offering the same defensive versatility. Plus, they would not lose Wade as he would just go to the alternate site and be on the taxi squad for road games. The battle between Bruce and Tauchman is a bit of a tossup that could come down to the wire. The Yankees would surely lose Tauchman if they cut him, but if they can get something of value for him in a trade, they could do it. It would make sense in terms of the 2021 roster construction to not carry both he and Gardner, but losing him could hurt in the future should he recapture his 2019 form. Ultimately, this is the Yankees. Their starting outfield is locked in for years, and Estevan Florial is knocking on the door of the majors after debuting last year. I don’t see the Yankees sweating losing a 30-year old fourth (fifth?) outfielder when he is not the best option for the team now. Dietrich and Bruce both make the 26-man roster, Wade to the Alternate Site, Tauchman traded for a non-40-man roster return.

5TH STARTER

The Yankees fifth starter spot has been one of the most intriguing storylines in camp because all of their starting pitchers have looked so good. Cole, Kluber, Taillon, and Montgomery are locked into the rotation. Michael King and Jhoulys Chacin have pitched better of late, but Domingo German and Deivi Garcia have pitched well enough that this is clearly a two-horse race. In 9 innings this spring, German has allowed only 6 baserunners (5 hits, 1 walk) while striking out 13 and looking very much like an ace. Deivi Garcia has been solid in his own right, having not allowed an earned run since allowing two solo homers in his first spring start. Of slight concern, however, is that he has walked six batters over his last six innings. Deivi is not out of the race yet, but if German keeps pitching like this, this is his race to lose.

Prediction: Domingo German is named the 5^th starter while Deivi Garcia becomes the Yankees spot starter who gets plenty of starts to spell a staff building back up from injuries and/or the shortened 2020 season. He begins the year at the Alternate Site.

LAST TWO BULLPEN SPOTS

Lastly, the Yankees now have two open bullpen spots following the injury to Zack Britton that will see him sidelined for awhile. The five guaranteed spots belong to Aroldis Chapman, Chad Green, Darren O’Day, Justin Wilson, and Jonathan Loiasiga. Luis Cessa figures to be about as close to a lock as can be for the sixth spot in the bullpen, although he has been hit hard this spring. Adam Warren, Addison Russ, Albert Abreu, and Brooks Kriske have all been optioned to Scranton thus eliminating them from contention. Asher Wojchiechowski has only pitched in three games this spring and would also appear to be out of contention. Kyle Barraclough entered camp looking to recapture his old dominant form, but he has walked the world this spring culminating in yesterday’s performance that likely cemented his fate as a final cut. Barraclough’s three walks in 0.2 innings leave him with 10 walks across 5.2 innings this spring. Luis Garcia and Nestor Cortes have big league experience, but have done nothing this spring to warrant consideration for a job. Michael King and Jhoulys Chacin figured to have a good opportunity to make the team as innings eaters, but they have been far outperformed by three pitchers, Lucas Luetge, Nick Goody, and Nick Nelson. Nelson has a 40-man roster spot already and has dominated this spring. He has yet to allow a run across 6.1 innings with 6 strikeouts, four hits, and no walks. He looks like a lock for a bullpen spot. Nick Goody has looked stellar this spring, allowing only one run in his first outing of the spring on a homerun (one of the two hits he’s allowed thus far to go with 3 walks). Goody has a solid track record of Major League success, having served as an integral part of the Cleveland Indians bullpen. However, based on spring performance, it would be almost impossible to keep Lucas Luetge off of this roster. The 33-year old southpaw is a spin rate darling who has been nothing short of dominant this spring, striking out 13 across 6.1 innings while allowing four hits, one walk, and no runs.

Prediction: Luetge and Nelson will be in the Yankees bullpen on April 1. Nick Goody is pitching well enough that the Yankees could explore trading Luis Cessa, but I would not necessarily count on that.

 

If the Yankees make these moves, they will need to clear room to add Bruce, Dietrich, and Luetge onto the 40-man roster. Bruce could take the open spot from a Tauchman trade. Another spot could be added by retroactively placing Zack Britton on the 60-Day IL. Depending on the timeframe for Miguel Andujar and/or Clarke Schmidt to return from their injuries, either of them could also go on the 60-Day IL. Otherwise, Thairo Estrada and Mike Ford standout as the most obvious DFA candidates. On the off chance the Yankees move on from Cessa in favor of Nick Goody, he would be traded for a non-40 man roster return also, and Goody would take his 40-man spot.