Predicting the Yankees’ 30-man Opening Day roster

With less than one week until the Yankees start their season in the nation’s capital, let’s take a look at what their Opening Day roster could look like.

The Yankees start the season next Thursday against the Nationals in D.C. After losing to the Houston Astros in six games in last year’s ALCS, they are looking to take the next step and win their first World Series since 2009.

They’ll have to cut their 58-player pool almost in half in that time span. Here’s a look at what their 30-man roster could look like on July 23.

The Yankees rotation

Gerrit Cole, RHP

James Paxton, LHP

Masahiro Tanaka, RHP

J.A. Happ, LHP

Jordan Montgomery, LHP

The Yankees rotation took two steps forward and one step back. They signed Cole to the longest, and richest, contract for a pitcher in baseball history (nine years, $324 million). However, in March, Luis Severino, who started just five games last season, including the postseason, underwent Tommy John surgery.

Aaron Boone said that Paxton will get the ball next, and with Tanaka and Happ being locks, it seems like that fifth spot is Montgomery’s to lose, as he is the only starting pitcher on the roster with MLB experience. Montgomery missed most of the last two years recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he earned a sixth-place finish in the 2017 AL Rookie of the Year vote with a 3.88 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 29 starts.

The Yankees bullpen

Aroldis Chapman, LHP

Tommy Khanle, RHP

Zack Britton, LHP

Adam Ottavino, RHP

Chad Green, RHP

Jonathan Loaisiga, RHP

Luis Cessa, RHP

Tyler Lyons, LHP

Deivi Garcia, RHP

It breaks my heart to leave Clarke Schmidt off this prediction, but him not being on the Yankees’ 40-man roster makes this possible. Schmidt has turned heads this summer, and the Yankees love him, rightfully so. But placing him on the 40-man roster means having to make another roster move to combat that. It’s a bummer, but it’s not possible.

Garcia and Loaisiga will be key contributors, as the rotation will still have to get stretched out. Loaisiga has some big league starts under his belt, and Garcia tossed 111.1 innings last year in 26 appearances, 21 of them being starts.

This might be the best, and deepest, bullpen in the big leagues. Its 10.2 K/9 last year was the fifth-best in the bigs last year, and its 4.08 ERA was the ninth-lowest in the majors.

The Yankees lineup

DJ LeMahieu, 2B

Aaron Judge, RF

Gleyber Torres, SS

Giancarlo Stanton, DH

Lule Voit, 1B

Gary Sanchez, C

Aaron Hicks, CF

Brett Gardner, LF

Gio Urshela, 3B

All signs point to LeMahieu being ready for Opening Day — he is back in New York after testing positive for the coronavirus. After a minor scare, Judge’s neck seems all good, and Stanton has been hitting bullets after an injury-plagued 2019 and a calf issue from the original spring training.

This may not be the exact lineup, but this is the A-team. And it’s a top-tier lineup in the big leagues.

The Yankees bench

Miguel Andujar, INF

Tyler Wade, INF/OF

Clint Frazier, OF

Mike Tauchman, OF

Mike Ford, INF

Kyle Higashioka, C

Matt Duffy, INF

The Yankees need to do what they can to get Andujar as many at-bats as possible. He’s taken reps in both corner outfield positions as well as both corner infield spots. They know he’s talented offensively.

Wade is the 10th-inning pinch runner who can also play just about anywhere in the field if necessary.

Had it not been for a career-high in homers, RBI, and OPS for Gardner last year, Frazier and Tauchman would probably be fighting for that left fielder’s job. With Frazier’s freakish offensive talent, Tauchman’s stellar defense and .865 OPS last year, they will both be with the big league club. Keep in mind, the Yankees have liked to get Frazier full-time at-bats in the minors, but with no minor league season, that forces their hand to keep them both up.

Mike Ford is simply the back-up first baseman, while Higashioka is Sanchez’s backup.

Matt Duffy will provide some veteran leadership on an otherwise young bench that will be needed in a 60-game sprint. Duffy finished in second place in the 2015 NL Rookie of the Year vote.