Juan Soto might be gone, but Aaron Judge is still wearing New York Yankees pinstripes. His presence alone makes spring training games worth watching, as he can launch a ball 450+ feet at any given moment, especially against subpar arms he might face in games that don’t count.
As fun as it is watching Judge in action, how he does in spring training will have no impact in regards to where he will play or bat in the team’s Opening Day lineup. Judge will be in right field batting somewhere in the top of the Yankees’ order on Opening Day.
The rest of the roster, however, isn’t quite as solidified. Not all 26 players have positions and roster spots guaranteed as of Feb. 21. Position battles might end up dictating whether certain players make the team. These three spring training position battles in particular are worth looking out for.
3. Someone has to win the backup catcher spot
Austin Wells will start behind the plate more often than not for the Yankees, but catchers only play five or six times a week at most. He will need games off, meaning that the Yankees will need to roster a backup for him. Jose Trevino served that role last season, but he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. Carlos Narvaez was probably next in line after Trevino in the pecking order, but he too was traded. These deals left the Yankees without a clear-cut backup. There are three feasible directions they could go with.
J.C. Escarra is probably the favorite as he’s on the team’s 40-man roster, but he’s a 29-year-old without any MLB experience. Do the Yankees really want to roster someone without any experience on Opening Day?
The most experienced option would be Alex Jackson, who New York brought to spring training as a non-roster invite. Jackson, once a top prospect, has 124 games of MLB experience and is an excellent defensive catcher, but he also has a .456 OPS in parts of five seasons. His bat has not proven to be MLB-caliber, raising the question of whether his defense alone is worth rostering.
The most fun option would be Ben Rice, a player who received a cup of coffee at the MLB level last season primarily as a first baseman and struggled at the plate, but has by far the most upside of the three. Rice has caught just one inning at the MLB level but has more games behind the plate in the minor leagues (121) than he has at first base at that same level (66). Rice’s only path to MLB playing time would be behind the plate with Paul Goldschmidt locked in as the team’s regular first baseman.
Escarra is probably going to end up winning the battle with a strong spring due to his presence as a catcher on the 40-man roster, but Rice, especially if Giancarlo Stanton isn’t ready to go on Opening Day, might make the team as well.
Backup catcher battle winner: J.C. Escarra over Alex Jackson and Ben Rice
2. Jake Cousins’ injury opens up a spot in the Yankees bullpen whether Marcus Stroman stays or not
The Yankees lost Clay Holmes and Tommy Kahnle in free agency but probably upgraded by acquiring Devin Williams and Fernando Cruz in separate trades. Once they re-signed Tim Hill, it felt as if the only bullpen spot that might have been up for grabs was the one currently occupied by Marcus Stroman. The Yankees have shopped Stroman around all offseason, and it’s unclear as to whether he’ll be on the team on Opening Day especially due to his apparent refusal to pitch in relief, but the rest of the bullpen looked solidified before Jake Cousins’ injury.
Cousins might be ready for Opening Day, but there’s a very real possibility he’ll open the year on the IL, leaving room for a bullpen competition even if Stroman sticks around.
With that bullpen decision, the Yankees would have to decide between talent or depth. That’s a decision every general manager has to make at some point, and it’s never a fun one.
On one hand, JT Brubaker is a pitcher that the Yankees traded for in March of last season but has not thrown an MLB pitch since 2022 and cannot be optioned to the minors without passing through waivers. The Yankees would love to keep him around and see what they traded for, but is a guy who hasn’t pitched since 2022 and has a 4.99 ERA at the MLB level really worth keeping around over arms who might be better like Scott Effross or even Clayton Beeter?
Effross and Beeter probably have more upside, but they also both have minor league options. Sometimes, that’s all these decisions come down to, and that could be the decider here.
Bullpen battle winner: JT Brubaker over Scott Effross and Clayton Beeter
1. It’s anyone’s best guess who will play third base on Opening Day
Here’s the big one. Yankees fans begged Brian Cashman to do something with the third base position, but that move never came. Unless the Yankees sign a guy like Jose Iglesias, chances are, that move isn’t coming, leaving them with an incredibly underwhelming battle for the starting job at the hot corner.
DJ LeMahieu, a three-time All-Star and a two-time batting champion is the favorite to win the starting nod, but what in the last couple of years have the Yankees seen to give him the chance to start? LeMahieu slashed .204/.269/.259 with two home runs and 26 RBI in 67 games last season and was worth -1.6 bWAR. Unfortunately, his 2024 struggles were not out of the ordinary, as LeMahieu has put up a sub-100 OPS+ in three of his last four seasons. Is he really going to bounce back at age 36?
The guys who are opposing LeMahieu for the third base reps are Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza, two former intriguing prospects who haven’t done much at the MLB level. Cabrera has been a decent utility man, but he isn’t worth playing regularly. Peraza has just 74 games of MLB experience in parts of three seasons, and while he’s a stout defender, he has just a .612 OPS at the sport’s highest level.
To put it simply, none of these options are appealing. LeMahieu has given no reason for anyone to realistically believe he’ll bounce back and be close to the player he once was, and Cabrera and Peraza have never been worthy of playing regularly at the MLB level. Someone has to win, though, and LeMahieu is probably the favorite to do so.
