After losing Juan Soto and Gleyber Torres over the offseason, the New York Yankees lineup will look very different in 2025, with Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt coming in and top prospect Jasson Domínguez taking over in left field. Of course, none of those players are Soto, but Aaron Boone still has reason to believe his team will have a good offense to roll out this season.
Aaron Judge is still Aaron Judge. He’s coming off a spectacular 2024 season, capturing his second MVP award. Jazz Chisholm Jr. looked great in New York after getting traded there from the Miami Marlins; across 46 games, the former All-Star hit .273 with a .825 OPS and 11 home runs. Domínguez, Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells will be counted on to become impact bats in pinstripes, and all three have the potential to do just that.
But for all those positives, there are still two glaring holes at third base and DH. Giancarlo Stanton would’ve undoubtedly lifted this lineup, but he’ll be on the IL to start 2025 due to elbow injuries. DJ LeMahieu’s health is in question as well, leaving an open door for Oswaldo Cabrera or Oswald Peraza to take over at the hot corner. Peraza is playing better in Spring Training, but Cabrera has a longer track record in MLB. Let's dive into what the Yankees Opening Day lineup could look like, with that said.
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What could the Yankees 2025 lineup look like?
Order | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
1 | Jazz Chisholm Jr. | 2B |
2 | Aaron Judge | RF |
3 | Cody Bellinger | CF |
4 | Paul Goldschmidt | 1B |
5 | Austin Wells | C |
6 | Jasson Dominguez | LF |
7 | Ben Rice | DH |
8 | Anthony Volpe | SS |
9 | Oswaldo Cabrera | 3B |
The biggest question for the Yankees is who should lead off. Judge could see a ton of fastballs hitting behind the speedy Chisholm; If the 27-year-old second baseman gets on to lead off an inning, he’ll be a threat to swipe a bag, nabbing 40 last season alone.
After that, it would make sense to slot Bellinger and Goldschmidt at three and four, continuing to alternate lefties and righties in an effort to halt the opposing team's bullpen plans. Bellinger behind Judge could be in the lefty’s best interest: He struggled last season, only hitting .266 with 18 home runs, and having the reigning MVP hitting in front could help him improve those numbers in 2025. Goldschmidt lacks the power he had at his prime, but he proved he’s still got pop left in the tank. After the 2024 All-Star break, the 2022 National League MVP hit .271 with a .799 OPS.
Domínguez is the wild card in the Yankees lineup. His defense in left field is questionable, to say the least, but his offense could help bolster their lineup: Across his minor league career, he recorded 102 stolen bases with a .816 OPS. In 2024, he played just 18 games in the Majors and had minimal success, but this will be his first real chance to be an everyday player. If he becomes a threat in Boone’s lineup, it will change the entire complexion of their offense.
Rice is the best DH candidate for the Yankees until Stanton returns. Last season, the 26-year-old slugged seven home runs in only 50 games. Across his career in the minors, he hit .289 with an eye-popping .935 OPS, including 12 homers and 33 RBI in just 30 games in Triple-A last season. If Rice translates his Minor League success to the bigs, New York could get great production out of the DH spot until Stanton returns.
Cabrera and Peraza aren’t the best combination by any stretch, but Boone has no choice but to use them after Brian Cashman failed to bring in any alternatives over the offseason. Cabrera holds a career .233 batting average with New York, while Peraza only has 74 games under his belt with the Yankees after injuries and inconsistency derailed his status as one of the team's top prospects. At some point, Cashman might need to make a move for a third baseman, but they’ll roll with Cabrera and Peraza for the time being ... at least until (or if) LeMahieu is healthy.
New York’s lineup isn’t as powerful as 2024’s, at least on paper. Losing a player like Soto would be a loss for any team. However, Bellinger and Goldschmidt are significant upgrades over Anthony Rizzo and Torres, and luckily, Boone has an elite starting rotation and bullpen at his disposal to help pick up the slack. The addition of Max Fried gives the Yankees another ace alongside Gerrit Cole, and even with Luis Gil on the IL to start 2025, they still have three reliable backend starters. Once the reigning AL Rookie of the Year returns, they’ll have one of the best rotations in MLB, plus an elite one-two punch in the bullpen with Devin Williams and Luke Weaver. If the Yankees get production out of a few of their young players, they’ll undoubtedly be able to return to the postseason.