Yankees Opening Day Roster Prediction 1.0: How New York Will Use Extra Roster Spots

Here's our first projection of the spring for how New York's 28-man roster will look on Opening Day.

TAMPA — Two weeks from Thursday, the Yankees will embark on the 2022 regular season, hosting the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.

How will the Yankees fare in a stacked American League East? Can this pitching staff pick up where it left off last season? Will New York distance themselves from last year's incessant inconsistencies on the offensive side of the ball?

Before any of those questions are answered, New York's Opening Day roster will be introduced one by one by the public address announcer in the Bronx, lining up on the first-base line before first pitch.

With a shortened spring training in the wake of MLB's lockout, rosters are expanding to 28 (rather than 26) for the first month of the season, as first reported by the New York Post. That means the Yankees and manager Aaron Boone have two extra spots to work with as they prepare to venture north next month.

Thinking ahead in his office at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Thursday morning, Boone said he expects to bring two additional pitchers for the commencement of the regular season, a way to eat up innings and prevent injuries as pitchers return to a normal workload.

The only significant change on offense for the Yankees was New York's five-player swap with the Twins from earlier this month, a trade that added shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa and third baseman Josh Donaldson to the starting lineup. Catcher Ben Rortvedt was also acquired in the deal, but a nagging oblique injury has hindered the backstop from swinging a bat since he arrived with his new club. 

Before we dive in any further, let's start walking through what New York's 28-man roster will look like 14 days from now. This is all subject to change, of course. Injuries are a factor as Grapefruit League play continues and certain hurlers could pitch their way onto this big-league roster.

As things stand right now, here's who I have making the team.

New York Yankees Opening Day Roster Prediction 1.0

With two weeks to go until Opening Day, here's a breakdown predicting who's in and who's out.

Catchers

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• Kyle Higashioka

• Rob Brantly

With two weeks to go until the regular season, the calendar is working against Rortvedt.

New York was cognizant of Rortvedt's oblique injury when they pulled the trigger on the trade with Minnesota, so clearly this doesn't project to derail the catcher's season. Rushing him back from an injury while he's learning an entirely new pitching staff, however, seems like a mistake.

Boone said Thursday that Rortvedt is throwing out to 90 feet and participating in defensive drills, but he's yet to pick up a bat. Maybe he'll make his first appearance in a game before the end of spring training, but all signs point toward a stint on the injured list to start the year.

That leaves New York with a handful of internal options, unless they go out and make a trade before the season starts. Rob Brantly has the most experience of those in house—he played six games with the Yankees last year and 68 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Boone also name-dropped Max McDowell and David Freitas on Thursday, two more non-roster invitees that are "in the mix."

Infielders

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• Anthony Rizzo

• DJ LeMahieu

• Gleyber Torres

• Isiah Kiner-Falefa

• Josh Donaldson

• Marwin Gonzalez

The biggest story with New York's infield is the fact that they have five players for four spots. Figuring out how to get LeMahieu into the lineup will be a challenge each day for Boone as a result of New York's roster construction.

Nonetheless, it doesn't hurt to have depth and versatility. Kiner-Falefa will play shortstop everyday and LeMahieu can fill in everywhere else, giving Donaldson, Rizzo and Torres days off periodically.

The final infielder on this list is Marwin Gonzalez. His ability to play all over the diamond will be invaluable to start the season, serving in a role similar to utility man Tyler Wade the last few years. His offensive numbers have dipped as he enters his 11th big-league season, but after moving past Gonzalez's involvement in the Astros' sign-stealing scandal from 2017, he's poised to be a positive presence in pinstripes.

Gonzalez signed a minor league deal with the Yankees this spring, so it's a similar situation to New York adding Jay Bruce to the big-league roster this time last year. So long as Gonzalez can start ramping up quickly at camp—he made his Grapefruit League debut on Thursday, hitting a home run against the Tigers—he'll be an important security blanket off the bench.

Also, I do think Oswaldo Cabrera can factor in at some point this year, but Gonzalez's experience gives him the edge. Cabrera, New York's No. 14 prospect and a member of the 40-man roster, is a strong and versatile defender that's been impressive at camp thus far. He can benefit from time in Triple-A after spending the vast majority of 2021 in Double-A (109 games).

Outfielders

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• Aaron Judge

• Giancarlo Stanton

• Aaron Hicks

• Joey Gallo

• Tim Locastro

As much as Miguel Andújar plays some outfield and former top prospect Estevan Florial has been waiting for an opportunity, I think this final outfield spot will go to either Locastro or Ender Inciarte.

Considering Locastro is on the 40-man (Inciarte is a non-roster invitee), he has an edge unless Inciarte—a former All-Star with the Braves—blows Boone and the coaching staff away this spring.

Locastro's season ended prematurely last year when he suffered a season-ending knee injury at Yankee Stadium. The outfielder told me recently that he's back to normal this spring, though. His speed will be huge for this team off the bench.

I asked Boone about Inciarte on Thursday, and the skipper said he's been pleased with what he's seen so far. The 31-year-old has fallen off in recent years, but he's been playing well in Grapefruit League play thus far. Inciarte has slapped a couple doubles and made a beautiful catch in the outfield the other day as well. 

Stanton is also expected to play more outfield this season, meaning there's less of a need for two full-time outfielders on the bench. If Hicks can stay healthy, New York should be in business out there, leaning on Judge and Gallo on both sides of the ball.

Starting pitchers

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• Gerrit Cole

• Luis Severino

• Jordan Montgomery

• Jameson Taillon

• Nestor Cortes Jr.

Not too much to say here. Boone has endorsed Cortes after his spectacular season a year ago and Taillon believes he'll be ready to go for Opening Day after ankle surgery this offseason.

We'll see if Severino or Montgomery can distinguish themselves as a true No. 2 in this rotation behind Cole. Those two could really elevate this group, proving New York didn't make a mistake by sticking with internal options in their rotation this offseason.

Relievers

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• Aroldis Chapman

• Jonathan Loáisiga

• Chad Green

• Clay Holmes

• Wandy Peralta

• Lucas Luetge

• Michael King

• Joely Rodríguez

New York will head into this season with the same bullpen that they had at the end of last year. Holmes and Peralta were impactful after they were acquired last summer. Rodríguez provides another look as a left-hander while Luetge looks to build on his tremendous campaign from a year ago as well.

Expect another stellar performance from Loáisiga this season and depending on how Chapman pitches, we could even see the Nicaraguan close some games in 2022.

King can provide some length and profiles as a primary choice to start if a member of the rotation needs to skip a turn early on. Keep an eye on Luis Gil, Deivi García and Clarke Schmidt as well. Those three prospects could factor into the equation in the rotation at some point down the road. I don't think they'll make the Opening Day roster, though. A start in the minors gives them a chance to hone in their skills as starters, biding their time until a chance at the big-league level presents itself.

Extra Two Roster Spots

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• Albert Abreu

• Ron Marinaccio

Lastly, we have a familiar face and an arm set to make his MLB debut.

Abreu was optioned 11 times in 2021, pitching a total of 36.2 innings with the big-league club. In those 28 appearances, he posted a 5.15 ERA. Not the best numbers, but he can slot in right away and pitch in the pinch out of the 'pen.

Marinaccio, New York's No. 28 prospect, pitched well in both Double-A and Triple-A last season. After dominating with Somerset to start the year, he made the jump to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, posting a 2.36 ERA over 18 appearances out of the bullpen. He had 41 strikeouts in 26.2 innings pitched.

Having Marinaccio on the 40-man roster certainly helps. Same goes for someone like JP Sears, although he's being built up to be a starter.

This spot should've gone to Stephen Ridings, who won over the fan base during his brief stint with the club last year. It doesn't seem like he's going to be ready for the start of the season due to a shoulder injury, though. 

Everyone I've spoken to at camp thus far has said Marinaccio is ready for this next step, so I'll take their word for it. I'm looking forward to seeing more of him over the next two weeks as he contends for a spot. 

MORE:

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