Yankees news: No room for Alex Verdugo, starting rotation forced to shuffle and more

Opening Day is still three weeks away but the Yankees are already dealing with a number of issues that will impact them well into the regular season. No one should blame manager Aaron Boone and his coaching staff if they are ready to pack the team up and head to the Bronx early.

Much of the news around New York centers around injuries and how the roster is being adjusted to make up for them. That's not what the Yankees brass were hoping for heading into the spring. The hope was to get to Opening Day without suffering any serious injury.

The franchise is not acting with desperation, though. GM Brian Cashman and his staff are determined to only make moves that can move the needle. That's why one big-name free agent will not be making a return to the team to help overcome Giancarlo Stanton's latest injury.

1. There is no room for Alex Verdugo

Alex Verdugo is still available on the free-agent market but re-signing him is not something the Yankees are actively considering. According to the New York Post, the biggest reason why the 28-year-old has not signed with a team is that he still believes he should be acquired as a starting outfielder.

His performance for New York last season says otherwise. He struggled mightily at the plate while posting the worst OPS+ of his career. The Yankees did turn back to him in the postseason for his defensive acumen, but that wasn't enough to convince Cashman to bring him back for another campaign.

Instead, the Yankees are content to give Jasson Dominguez the starting left field job unless he completely falls on his face this spring. He's had some high-profile defensive mishaps over the last two weeks but club officials are confident he can overcome those struggles before Opening Day.

That leaves Verdugo twisting in the wind and looking for a new club. The only way he will be returning to the Yankees is if they suffer another outfield injury. Cashman and the higher-ups in the Bronx are hopeful that won't happen.

2. Luis Gil's injury shuffles the starting rotation

Luis Gil is not going to resume throwing for six weeks, which is forcing the Yankees to replace him in their starting rotation. At the moment, veteran Marcus Stroman has the inside track to step in for last year's American League Rookie of the Year.

That's a significant reversal of fortune for Stroman. The Yankees have actively shopped him during most of the offseason after his ineffective performance down the stretch of their 2024 season. Trading him was difficult because other teams have been unwilling to take on his bloated salary.

The front office's hope now is that Stroman will pitch well in Gil's absence and raise his trade value with teams around the league. That could make Gil's injury a blessing in disguise. Six weeks of starts from Stroman might be enough to convince a team to part with an asset to acquire him.

3. Max Fried spends time with Roger Clemens and hits 97 on the radar gun

Max Fried was not perfect in his first spring outing with the Yankees but Boone was happy that his fastball hit 97 during his two innings of work against the Pirates. He also complimented his new southpaw for his quality curve balls and changeup.

Flashing that sort of stuff does a lot to encourage Yankee officials that Fried will be ready to go when the regular season arrives. He still needs to build up his pitch count over the next several weeks but pitching to his maximum velocity this early in the spring bodes well for his chances to start the year in top form.

One additional note from Fried's first outing is that he got a chance to spend a lot of time with Roger Clemens. He was enthusiastic about the opportunity to pick the legend's brain about how to attack opposing hitters. The advice from one of baseball's most dominant starters can only be a plus for Fried as his Yankee career rolls on.

4. Two top prospects were sent to the minors

Neither Roderick Arias or Cam Schlitter had a real chance to make the big league club coming out of Spring Training. It still was a mild surprise that both were shipped to the minor league camp before getting a little bit more time with the major league club down in Florida.

Arias needs a lot more reps at any sort of professional level at the tender age of 20. He's still the team's No. 7 prospect per MLB.com but his stock has dipped slightly since getting into the minor league system. The franchise would love to see him take a step forward this year and thrive in class A.

Schlitter is the older of the pair at 24. He will likely begin the year in AA. He has shown good life with his fastball but needs additional work with his secondary pitches if he's going to stick as a starter. He's headed to the minor league camp early to make sure he gets as many innings as possible before the regular season begins.