Yankees general manager Brian Cashman spoke to the media prior to Saturday’s game against the Phillies in Tampa, the penultimate home game of the Grapefruit League schedule, and clarified a few points about open roster spots and injuries:
STARTING ROTATION
Carlos Carrasco will indeed be in the Yankees’ rotation to begin the year, as Clarke Schmidt will begin the year on the injured list while continuing to build back up from a shoulder issue.
“He’s had a good camp, and obviously he has earned the right to come north with us,” Cashman said of Carrasco, adding of Schmidt: “He’s certainly going in the right direction, he just hasn’t had a Spring Training yet.”
Cashman did not answer a question about how Will Warren factors into things, but the Yankees may only need a fifth starter once (on April 5) before April 15, when Schmidt would have had three more weeks to build up, so they could run a nine-man bullpen in various machinations for the first two-plus weeks.
BULLPEN
Ian Hamilton will also start the season on the injured list to continue to build up after missing time this spring with an infection, as Cashman said ‘he’s going to need more time,’ and Clayton Beeter will be ‘out a while’ as he continues to battle shoulder issues. Tyler Matzek (oblique) remains out but did not trigger his opt-out clause, so he will end up in Triple-A with his next opt-out date on May 1, per Gary Phillips of the Daily News.
Mark Leiter Jr. (back) pitched on Saturday and should be ready for Opening Day, but the Yankees still likely have three bullpen spots up for grabs, with Cashman declining to name any front-runners.
GIANCARLO STANTON
It doesn’t sound like Stanton is in the immediate plans, as Cashman said that Giancarlo is still just doing treatment and not yet back to baseball activities, and it’s ‘too early to tell’ how three rounds of platelet-rich plasma injections have helped his ailing elbows.
"I spent some time with him this morning, and he's in good spirits,” Cashman said. “Certainly we're all hopeful that we can get him back down the line, but, but that's not in the near-term.”
THE BENCH
With Stanton not in the near-term and ‘no timetable’ on DJ LeMahieu, Cashman said he would be ‘happier’ if the Yankees could find another right-handed bat. Utility man Pablo Reyes – who started in right field Saturday and was hitting .282 with a .793 OPS this spring - was mentioned as an internal candidate for that role, and Oswald Peraza is out of options and may have locked up a roster spot when Jorbit Vivas was optioned to Triple-A earlier this week.
Dom Smith did indeed trigger his opt out clause, and the Yankees have until Tuesday to make a decision on whether to add him to the roster or not after a strong spring (.297-.289/.568 with three homers in 37 at-bats).
The Yankees can likely clear five roster spots with 60-day IL moves, and while one will have to go to Carrasco (and Reyes would be a second), Cashman said the Yankees are ‘definitely keeping the phone lines open’ and ‘open to upgrading any aspect of the team,’ but ‘there’s not a lot of heavy lifting going on there,’ and this time of year, it’s not easy’ to make upgrades.
With spring training coming to an end and veteran opt-outs like Smith’s looking, the Yankees could scour the waiver wire or look at small trades for at least some temporary help.