Yankees fans will riot when these 4 early spring training stars don't make the roster

It's a very small sample, yet with their 8-2 record, New York Yankees fans have to be thrilled by what they've seen thus far in spring training. Sure, the games don't mean much of anything, especially in March, so it's not worth overreacting, but this Yankees team in particular has seen some of its fun prospects emerge thus far.

As well as they've played, though, these four players won't make their Opening Day roster, much to the chagrin of the fan base.

OF Spencer Jones

In just five appearances, Yankees fans have gotten the full Spencer Jones experience thus far in spring training. The outfielder has stepped up to the plate 12 times. In those 12 plate appearances, he's hit three home runs, drawn a pair of walks, and struck out four times. Jones is known as a three-true-outcomes type of hitter, and that's been the case this spring.

While the strikeouts are obviously concerning, Jones has reached base at a 41.7 percent clip, and hitting three home runs in just 12 plate appearances, with all of them being absolutely crushed, isn't anything to sneeze at either. Jones looks like a player who could make a serious impact in the majors right now based on how he's played, but where is he going to suit up?

Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge man the corner outfield spots, and Trent Grisham was just brought back on the qualifying offer, fresh off a 34-home run season. As much as Yankees fans want Aaron Boone to find room for one of their top prospects to mash at the big league level, there just isn't room with the outfield depth the Yankees have, and even if there was, I'm not sure Jones is ready, given his major whiff concerns.

RHP Carlos Lagrange

As impressive as Jones is, I'm not sure anyone has been more impressive this spring on the Yankees than Carlos Lagrange, one of the team's top pitching prospects. Lagrange has pitched 5.2 innings in his two spring appearances, allowing just one earned run on four hits with six strikeouts. Not only are the numbers fantastic, but his stuff looks just absurd.

Command can elude him at times, but his stuff looks big league ready. Because of this, some Yankees fans want to see Lagrange on the Opening Day roster, even if he pitches out of the bullpen. While he'd certainly help the 'pen if he were pressed into action there, is this a good idea?

Lagrange is just 22 years old, and with his stuff, he has the chance to be one of the best starters in the American League if he can improve his command. Given that, do the Yankees really want to rush him up to the majors in a bullpen role for Opening Day when he can continue to develop in the minor leagues and potentially be a rotation linchpin for years to come? They shouldn't.

I know he's fun to watch, but Lagrange beginning the year in the upper minors and continuing to develop without having to deal with the pressure and uncertainty of pitching in a big league bullpen is what's best for everyone right now. Perhaps the bullpen can be a spot for him later in the year, but for now, Lagrange should only be a starter.

RHP Ben Hess

Ben Hess is another pitching prospect who has really opened some eyes this spring, as he's allowed one run on three hits in five innings, striking out six batters in his two appearances. His breaking stuff in particular has looked impressive.

Hess's stuff looks awesome, but even with his strong spring performance, there's no reason to believe he's big league ready, mostly because he lacks experience. Hess, a first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, made his professional debut in 2025 and spent most of the year in High-A. He did end the year in Double-A and pitched well in his seven starts at that level, but going from seven Double-A starts to the big leagues just doesn't happen.

Hess needs more seasoning, and even with injuries that'll force Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt to miss the beginning of the season, they have enough depth to ensure Hess won't be on the Opening Day roster. Hess pitching in the majors sometime late this season shouldn't be ruled out, though, if he continues to pitch well.

OF Kenedy Corona

Kenedy Corona is a player many Yankees fans likely hadn't heard of prior to spring training, but they sure have now. Corona, a player who signed a minor league contract with the club in late December, has really stood out this spring, recording a pair of hits, both of which have left the ballpark, and drawing four walks. He's reached base in half of his 12 plate appearances, and has even played excellent defense as well.

Corona looks like a player who can help the Yankees at the big league level, but as an outfielder, his path to the majors is tough. As mentioned above, the Yankees have a full outfield with Grisham, Judge and Bellinger, and they also have Jones, Randal Grichuk and Jasson Dominguez as depth options. They probably don't want to play Jones or Dominguez in bench roles, but is Corona really going to make the team over Grichuk, an established veteran who crushes left-handed pitchers?

Corona, with just two big league plate appearances to his credit, faces a clear uphill battle. Without likely multiple injuries to outfielders, I don't see a path for him to make the Opening Day roster, given the depth the Yankees have at the position. A strong showing to start the year in Triple-A could force New York's hand at some point, however.

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