We are less than two weeks away from first pitch in San Fransisco for the Yankees. This camp has been a good one for New York, thus far, with no big injury surprises. This will make the opening day roster very similar to the one they trotted out last postseason when they lost to the Blue Jays. Still, there are a few spots on the roster that have not been fully decided to this point, so let’s project
Infield/Catchers
The core of infielders is set. It will by Ryan McMahon at third base, Jose Caballero at shortstop (until Volpe returns), Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second, and Ben Rice at first. That infield has the potential to be very good if all goes well, or very underwhelming if things don’t.
Where things get interesting is on the bench. The Yankees will break camp with Amed Rosario as a backup that can play most positions. They will also have Paul Goldschmidt to play first base against tough lefties. Those two will alone will help give the Yankees a much deeper bench than in years past.
Where it gets complicated is the other two bench spots. One will be reserved for a backup outfielder (more later) and the other is a coin flip. The Yankees have to choose between brining J.C. Escarra on the roster to back up Austin Wells, or Max Schuemann for the infield. Based on reading the tea leafs, the belief is the Yankees are going to opt for Escarra and go with McMahon as the backup shortstop, who has gotten some reps there this spring. Escarra has received a majority of the catching reps with Wells away at the WBC, and Rice has not caught one inning of game action, making it unlikely the Yankees will opt to have him backup Wells.
At this point, it is almost a certainty that Oswaldo Cabrera will start the season in AAA after his injury. He has played in some spring games, but he might not be a full go for the start of the season.
Outfield/DH
The core of the outfield and DH sport are set. Cody Bellinger will be in left, Trent Grisham in center, and Aaron Judge in right. Giancarlo Stanton will of course slot in at DH.
Jasson Domínguez, who has had a great spring, will likley start the season in AAA, getting every day reps. If/when Stanton ends up on the IL, we might see Domínguez on the MLB roster this season.
Spencer Jones, who has also had a good camp, was already optioned to AAA. Jones could make his debut in 2026 if the Yankees need. It seems more likely he will spend the season in AAA and debut in 2026.
The Yankees brought Randal Grichuk in on a minor league deal a few weeks ago. Though he has not had the best of spring at bats, in limited reps, I think he still makes the team. He is a proven veteran who is also a supreme defender, which can benefit the Yankees in the late innings if needed. He did not perform to well against lefties in 2025, but the underlying metrics were good. Still, Grichuk would provide a better at-bat than Grisham against southpaws.
Starting Rotation
The starting five going into opening day is pretty much set as well. Max Fried will get the first start in San Fransisco, with Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, Ryan Weathers, and Luis Gil rounding out the staff.
The Yankees rotation has a lot of potential to be great this season. Gil, Warren, Schlittler, and Fried have all had solid camps thus far. Weathers has shown flashes of brilliance, but has also struggled at times.
If things go awry, the Yankees have a lot of AAA depth waiting in the wings to make an impact. They have Elmer Rodriguez leading the depth at AAA, with Carlos Lagrange right behind him. Considering the Yankees had Carlos Carrasco and Marcus Stroman making starts for them as late as July last season, this is a big win for the Yankees.
The Bullpen
The Yankees bullpen is the most interesting part of this team going in. They have David Bednar to close out games, Camilo Doval, Fernando Cruz, and Tim Hill as the other main high leverage options going in.
After that, it gets messy. Jake Bird will likely make the roster and could impress. He has shown some good and some bad this spring, but is someone who can make a big impact this season. Brent Headrick is someone the Yankees are extremely high on as a lefty who has reverse splits. Headrick would offer the Yankees some versatility.
Rule 5 pick Cade Winquest has underperformed this spring making it unlikely that he will make the roster, Angel Chivilli has also struggled this spring, and he will likely start in AAA, but could see some big league time at some point in 2026.
Another option the Yankees could look at is Osvaldo Bido. Bido was claimed off waivers during the offseason and has looked really really good this spring for the Yankees. Earlier this spring, the Yankees had him stretched out, pitching multiple innings in an appearance, but his past few appearances have been about an inning, which could be a sign he is in serious consideration for a bullpen spot. Since Bido is out of options, the Yankees will have to DFA him if he does not break camp with the team.
If a hole in the bullpen opens up during the season, it could be filled with flame thrower Lagrange. The Yankees want him to remain a starter, but they are in win now mode, and for 2026, his best use is coming out of the bullpen. Lagrange could be the x-factor, should the Yankees need it.
(Top Image Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images)
