Major League Baseball Opening Day is four days away, and the New York Yankees are ready to launch out of spring training games. The 2024 American League Champions have fallen victim to injuries this spring. The two most notable are DH Giancarlo Stanton, who has elbow tendinitis on both arms, and ace Gerrit Cole, who has season-ending Tommy John surgery.
Despite losing key players in the clubhouse, Yankees Captain and 2x time MLB MVP Aaron Judge is confident in heading into opening day 2025. The loss of ace such as Cole is difficult but the Yankees have no choice but to continue improving the team for the season. Judge has spoken on the topic with reporters in recent days stating “We’ll be in a good spot, he’s a tough guy.” Replacing ace Gerrit Cole in the pitching rotation for the 2025 MLB season will be difficult but not impossible. Signing Left-handed pitcher Max Freid should help lessen the blow and Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman remains positive going forward.
The current rotation outlook for the Yankees is still not set in stone after losing Cole. Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced Carlos Rodon will get the ball on opening day followed by newcomer Max Fried in game 2. Cole’s absence guarantees veteran pitcher Marcus Stroman a spot in the rotation who, early this spring, stated he is a starting pitcher and prefers not to pitch out of the bullpen so there’s a good chance Stroman takes the ball in game 3.
The Yankees announced pitcher Clarke Schmidt is targeting an April 3rd season debut but there’s no guarantee the Yankees force him back before he gets in the necessary reps after being diagnosed in spring training with right shoulder fatigue. The Yankees have publicly stated a six-man rotation is not ideal, so that leaves rookie sensation Will Warren and 38-year-old veteran pitcher Carlos Carrasco to settle into the 4th and 5th spot in the rotation. Luis Gil is not expected to return with the team until the end of June.
The opening day 25-man roster is yet to be determined with multiple injuries this spring. Manager Aaron Boone admitted the road back to the World Series will not be easy. With the addition of new players in the clubhouse, the lineup card for opening day is not set in stone going forward. We can however speculate on the final lineup card Manager Aaron Boone will elect to send out.
The loss of DH Giancarlo Stanton will require some creativity from Boone for most of the season, the addition of OF Cody Bellinger now allows Aaron Judge to return to his natural position at right field which opens up an LF to rookie sensation Jasson Dominguez. At 3rd base, it seems Aaron Boone will go with Oswaldo Cabrera for now allowing the rookie Oswald Peraza to settle into a platoon role. New addition 1B Paul Goldschmidt looks to redeem himself after a subpar 20204 season in the Bay with the San Fran Giants.
Adding 2nd baseman Jazz Chisolm will vastly improve defense on the right side of the infield forming a dynamic duo with 3rd year man Anthony Volpe who’s expected to have another strong year at SS. Catcher Austin Wells is now in command behind the plate, which one would assume leaves Ben Rice and J.C. Escarra competing for the backup catcher role. Boone has mentioned in recent interviews how the Yankees have been thinking of running with 3 catchers to begin the season.
ROOKIES
Yankees rookie sensation Ben Rice has garnered high praise this spring. The left-handed hitter came into the 2024 spring training focused on improving his offensive numbers. Rice played 50 games at the major league level. In 152 at-bats, Rice hit .171/ 7HRs/ .264 OBP/.613 OPS. The rookie went through going pains in the 2024 season despite several moments of impressive hitting. In spring 2025 Rice has added 15 lbs of muscle to his 6’2 frame during the offseason.
During the 2024 season, Rice weighed 210-215 lbs to which he admitted lacking some power. “It was a personal decision. I felt like I had some room to fill out.” Rice is now the backup catcher to Austin Wells but also plays 1st base and DH so, however the Yankess are yet to announce if he’s a guarantee to make the opening day roster barring any setbacks. The Yankees are hoping Rice’s power surge this spring will transfer over once the regular season commences. In 58 at-bats this spring, Rice has hit 5 HRs, 9 RBIs, and a .254 batting average.
The Yankees seem to have found a diamond in the rough with J.C. Escarra, a Miami native. Escarra’s climb to the Show, however, is one of perseverance, focus, and ambition. Escarra who is 29 years old worked as a driver for Uber as well as a substitute teacher in Miami before being invited to spring training in 2025 with the New York Yankees. Escarra’s rise to glory this spring is no fluke. Although Escarra is a 2017 draft pick by the Orioles he experienced Triple-A baseball but was eventually released during the 2021 season by the Orioles organization. With no clear plans for the future, Escarra failed to give up and continued playing baseball with independent leagues like the Gastonia Honey Hunters in 2023.
In 2024, the Yankees offered Escarra a minor league deal with their Double-A team, the Somerset Patriots. Finishing with a .234 BA/4HRs/.322 OBP/.374 slugging/.364 OPS in 73 games. Escarra was then promoted to the Yankees Triple-A team Scranton Wilkes-Barre hitting .302 BA/.403 OBP/.364/.527 slugging/.930 OPS and 8 HRs in 57 games. Fast forward to spring 2025 and Escarra has reached new levels of magnificent in 17 games with 3 HRs, a .333 BA/.373 OBP/.563 slugging/ .935 OPS. J.C Escarra will be part of Boone’s 3 man catcher committee with David Wells leading the pack. Escarra also plays 1st base and right field.
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