Wells to make franchise history; Domínguez, Rice make Opening Day roster; Bellinger, Goldschmidt feeling right at home; Team carrying battle scars of Game 5 nightmare; Jordan Montgomery undergoes Tommy John surgery

ESPN | Jorge Castillo: The Yankees have deployed Austin Wells as the leadoff hitter consistently across their final slate of spring exhibitions and now they have made it official that he will bat atop the order on Opening Day. He will become the first catcher to lead off a regular season game in franchise history. Wells has been killing it from the leadoff role with three home runs in his last three games and was one of the standout Grapefruit League performers, batting .372 with six home runs and a 1.263 OPS in 15 games.

NJ Advance Media | Max Goodman: That wasn’t the only roster decision to be finalized on Tuesday, with Aaron Boone making it official that Jasson Domínguez and Ben Rice had secured their spots on the Opening Day roster. Rice has been the one of the talks of camp across all MLB, consistently posting some of the highest exit velocities of any player en route to five home runs in 19 games. Domínguez has been a work in progress with the glove as he learns left field but will be given every opportunity to make good on his top prospect status.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: It was always going to be a near-impossible task replacing Juan Soto, but Aaron Judge feels his team hit the jackpot in managing to acquire Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt. The captain said the experience and pedigree the pair bring to the clubhouse provides the team with a similar vibe to the one that made it to the World Series last year. Both Bellinger and Goldschmidt relayed that they immediately felt at home upon joining their new team, both citing the culture that the collective group has engendered.

ESPN | Jorge Castillo: The Yankees won’t need any help with motivation in the 2025 season, the disappointment of their World Series loss providing all the drive necessary to achieve their goals this year. In particular, the disastrous way the fifth inning of Game 5 unraveled will be carried like a battle scar, that sting likely never leaving the players’ memories regardless of what they accomplish in the rest of their careers. Now that they have experienced the true nadir of emotion on a baseball field, that is all the impetus one would need to not feel that way again.

MLB Trade Rumors | Darragh McDonald: We finish with a piece of unfortunate news, former Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery set to miss the 2025 season as he undergoes his second Tommy John surgery. It has been a torrid last year-plus for the 32-year-old southpaw, who not that long ago was atop the baseball world as one of the key contributors to the Rangers’ 2023 World Series title. He was unable to parlay that success into big contract, settling for a short-term deal with the Diamondbacks, that late deal delaying the start of a season he finished with a 6.23 ERA in 21 starts, earning the public bashing of team owner Ken Kendrick. He opted into his $22.5 million player option this season but will not throw a pitch, likely bringing an end to his nightmarish Arizona saga. In five-and-a-half years in pinstripes, Montgomery went 22-20 in 97 starts with a 3.94 ERA, 3.90 FIP, and 478 strikeouts in 502.2 innings. We wish him a full and speedy recovery.