If asked, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone would likely tell fans that no regular season game is more important than any other. That's a nice sound byte but that does not make it true. Certainly early-season matchups are important for his team if they want to be legitimate World Series contenders.
It's also true that no game that occurs in April is going to make or break any MLB club's season. Getting off to a good start would give the Yankees' playoff hopes a big boost, but the season is a marathon rather than a sprint. Fans can feel free to look forward to the following matchups but there's no need to overreact if things don' t go New York's way.
1. Four-game set at Tampa Bay
The Yankees enjoy playing in front of tons of their own fans every time they venture down to Tampa Bay but that hasn't resulted in a lot of success for Boone's club. The Rays aren't quite as good as they've been in recent years which raises the need for the Yankees to win the road series.
The importance of the series is heightened since it falls during a stretch when the team is expected to play on 13 consecutive days. That's a drag on any team regardless of the depth it has at its disposal. Boone will need to use his entire roster to make sure his team can stay fresh during this April stretch.
In particular, playing 13 days in a row will require the Yankees to rotate their pitching staff with outstanding efficiency. Pitching coach Matt Blake will be counted on to keep a close eye on his bullpen arms. Putting one of his high-leverate relievers under too much pressure this early in the season could land them on the Injured List.
The hope is that Clarke Schmidt will be healthy in time to rejoin the rotation by this time on the calendar. His return could really give the Yankees a healthy infusion of talent in this matchup against their division rivals. A split would be sufficient for New York on the road but winning the series will be the goal for Aaron Judge and his teammates.
2. Three-game series at home against the Blue Jays
Toronto has designs on challenging New York for divisional supremacy in 2025. That makes this short home series a real opportunity for the Yankees to make a statement against the Blue Jays.
The three-game set could also influence the future of Blue Jays' superstar Vladimir Guerreiro Jr. He's sent mixed signals about his affinity for Toronto and his opinion of New York as of late. If Toronto falls out of the postseason race early he might decide to commit his future elsewhere. The Yankees can't make that happen by winning three games but they could start the ball rolling.
At the very least, New York needs to hold serve against their division rivals by winning the series. The Blue Jays aren't the only team with hopes of knocking them off their AL East perch this year but they are one of the most qualified. Taking them down a peg in April would help the Yankees reestablish their supremacy.
3. The last series of April at the Orioles
The Orioles continue to identify themselves as a team on the rise with an exciting nucleus of young talent at their disposal. That young corps believes this is the year they can go from nice story to dominant division winner.
The Yankees have an early opportunity to head to Baltimore and squelch some of that momentum. Losing Corbin Burnes does make the Orioles' starting rotation more vulnerable this season. No one would be surprised if this theree-game set turns into a bit of a shootout.
For their part, the Yankees would like the top of their rotation to prove they can shut down Baltimore's talented offense on the road. Strong outings from Max Fried and Carlos Rodon would go a long way towards establishing them as legitimate co-ace's atop Boone's pitching staff.
The real key for that pair will be to make sure they don't self-destruct in their first stressful starts of the campaign. That was an issue for Rodon in 2023 but he drastically improved his composure in 2024. Pitching will in the cauldren against the Orioles in the early season would be another step in the right direction for the talented southpaw.