Fansided

3 big decisions Yankees must make before Opening Day

By Rucker Haringey

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 31: Pitcher Domingo German #55 of the New York Yankees in action in an MLB baseball game against the Oakland Athletics on August 31, 2019 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. Yankees won 4-3. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 31: Pitcher Domingo German #55 of the New York Yankees in action in an MLB baseball game against the Oakland Athletics on August 31, 2019 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. Yankees won 4-3. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
Yankees Spring Training rumors, Aaron Boone
TAMPA, FLORIDA – MARCH 06: Manager Aaron Boone #17 of the New York Yankees waves to the media while returning to coaching after medical leave to watch Gerrit Cole #45 pitch during a live batting practice at the Yankees Player Development Complex on March 06, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

The Yankees roster is mostly set in advance of Opening Day, but here are three big decisions Aaron Boone still needs to make. 

Spring Training has mostly gone according to plan on the field for the Yankees and Aaron Boone. Yes, the energetic manager needed a pacemaker to get ready for the regular season, but his roster remains mostly intact speeding towards Opening Day.

There are several outstanding issues still facing Boone, GM Brian Cashman, and the organization’s collective brain trust. The good news is that most of the tough calls reside on the fringes of the roster. That doesn’t make the choices facing the Yankees in the coming days trivial. Calls made late in Spring Training could go a long way towards determining New York’s ability to break their World Series drought in October.

Yankees fans should keep a close eye on the following three questions facing Boone and company in the coming days. Read on to discover where the team’s Spring Training drama still resides.

3. Who will replace Zack Britton in Yankees bullpen?

Britton’s elbow injury has been the worst thing that’s happened to a Yankees player this Spring. It’s expected to sideline the southpaw reliever until late June at the absolute earliest.

His absence places some stress on the organization to find a lefty capable of getting outs late in games early in the regular season. Justin Wilson should get the first shot to fill Britton’s shoes, but his performance in Spring Training has been sporadic at best.

Yankees fans should keep a close eye on Lucas Luetge as a guy who can soak up some early-season innings. He hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2015 but he does lead the team in strikeouts this Spring. Nick Nelson could also get more work early while Britton remains on the shelf.

Home/New York Yankees