New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman is under immense pressure to end his franchise's World Series championship drought this season. Step one for his front office will be to craft the ideal roster for manager Aaron Boone heading into Opening Day, and that means Cashman will be forced to make some potentially unpopular roster decisions in the coming days.
Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The New York Yankees face pressure to end their championship drought and are finalizing their roster for Opening Day under Brian Cashman.
- Three standout performers in spring training face uncertain fates as the team prioritizes experience and defined roles for the regular season.
- These players' spring successes highlight tough decisions ahead for manager Aaron Boone and the front office regarding depth and versatility.
Spring training performance will factor into which players head north to the Bronx, but it's not the only thing Cashman will consider. Career track record and reliability should also heavily influence the team's decisions; after all, it's important not to overreact to a few weeks against largely Minor League competition.
The good news for the Yankees is that their roster only has a few potential openings heading into the regular season. The bad news for these three spring stars is that the crunch will see them starting the season in Triple-A instead of the Show.
Jasson Dominguez will be squeezed out of the Yankees outfield rotation
Jasson Dominguez has the talent to be a regular starter for a number of MLB clubs. Unfortunately for the prospect many referred to as "The Martian" during his formative years, the Yankees are not one of those teams right now.
Instead, he looks set to begin the regular season in Triple-A, where he can receive regular at-bats from both sides of the plate. That might be a bitter pill to swallow for Dominguez, since he's arguably been the team's best hitter during the spring: His .371 batting average with an OPS of 1.080 shows he's ready to handle Major League pitching, at least from the left side.
Concerns over his defense and ability to hold up against quality left-handed pitching make him an awkward fit to be a backup for Boone when the regular season begins. Expect him to tear up the Minors and be called up the moment any outfielder or DH hits the Injured List. And if he languishes in Scranton too long, he will become one of the biggest names in the MLB trade rumor mill. No matter what, though, he's not going to head north with the big-league club when spring training finishes up.
Max Scheumann does not have enough upside to help the Yankees
It's hard to imagine Max Schuemann doing more to make the Yankees Opening Day roster than he has this spring. The versatile veteran is 9-for-22 at the plate while chipping in eight walks during his preseason action. But that still won't be quite enough to earn him a valuable spot on the Yankee bench.
Instead, New York seems primed to rely on Ryan McMahon as their emergency backup at shortstop behind Jose Caballero. The plan remains for Anthony Volpe to rejoin the starting lineup once he returns from injury, but Schuemann was trying to work his way into the mix before that occurred.
Amed Rosario projects to be the backup at third, which leaves Scheumann without a solid role on the bench. The Yankees would love to stash him in Triple-A to bring up in case of emergency, but it's very likely another team will take a flier on him to fill in as their fifth infielder once final cuts are made.
Carlos LaGrange has opened a lot of eyes, but the Yankees will exercise caution
Flamethrower Carlos LaGrange has boosted his stock more than any other Yankees pitcher this spring. He has the stuff to help the big-league club right away as a reliever, but count on Cashman to start him in the Minors to lower the pressure on the 22-year-old righty.
He's understandably drawing comps to Dellin Betances due to his height, but the Yankees hope LaGrange will find a way to stick as a starter. That's one reason they'll start him in Triple-A, in order to keep him on the right development path and get him more reps turning a lineup over multiple times. New York's starting rotation is full at the moment, even before Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole return, which would relegate LaGrange to working out of the bullpen.
The most likely path forward for LaGrange in 2026 is for him to soak up some innings as a starter in Scranton before transitioning to a bullpen role for the Yankees down the stretch. That would allow him to earn valuable MLB experience while controlling his workload. That might not be what Yankee fans want to hear, but it's the smart course of action for the organization's top pitching prospect.