Manager Aaron Boone announced Tuesday that Rice will be included on the Yankees' Opening Day roster, Max Goodman of NJ.com reports.
Giancarlo Stanton's elbow issues created an opening at designated hitter, and Rice took advantage of the opportunity during spring training with five homers and an .848 OPS in 69 plate appearances. The 26-year-old is likely to see most of his action at designated hitter but could also get looks at first base and catcher.
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Yankees' Jasson Dominguez: Officially makes roster
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Manager Aaron Boone announced Tuesday that Dominguez will be included on the Yankees' Opening Day roster, Max Goodman of NJ.com reports.
The 22-year-old experienced some defensive struggles in left field during spring training, but there's never been any real question about whether he would make the season-opening roster. Dominguez had a decent showing at the plate in Grapefruit League action with three homers, two steals and a .267/.302/.467 slash line in 63 plate appearances. He posted a .747 OPS in 26 MLB games across the past two seasons but is now poised to receive his first true opportunity as an everyday player at the big-league level.
Yankees' Austin Wells: Confirmed as leadoff hitter
Rotowire
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said on the Talkin' Yanks podcast by Jomboy Media on Tuesday that Wells will be the team's leadoff hitter Opening Day versus Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta.
The revelation comes as no surprise, as Wells has batted at the top of the order consistently over the last few weeks in Grapefruit League play. Wells is likely to hit lower in the order or get days off against lefties, although No. 2 catcher J.C. Escarra and No. 3 catcher Ben Rice also bat left-handed.
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Yankees' Oswald Peraza: Could be nearing end in New York
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Peraza appears to have been surpassed by Pablo Reyes on the Yankees' depth chart and is on the outside looking in for an Opening Day roster spot, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
Early in spring, Peraza was viewed as a candidate to start at third base due to DJ LeMahieu (calf) being set to miss the beginning of the campaign. However, Oswaldo Cabrera has likely locked up that role with a solid exhibition slate while Peraza has slashed just .167/.273/.188. Even more detrimental for Peraza's outlook is that Reyes has had an outstanding spring with a .326/.434/.488 slash line and is also capable of playing more positions on the field. Peraza is out of minor-league options, so if he doesn't make the Yankees' Opening Day roster, the team would need to designate him for assignment.
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Yankees' Pablo Reyes: Making push for roster spot
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Reyes appears to have surpassed Oswald Peraza on the Yankees' depth chart and is a "strong candidate" to make the team's Opening Day roster, Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports.
Reyes would fill two needs -- a right-handed bench bat and a player capable of playing both third base and left field -- if he makes the Yankees' roster. The 32-year-old has also had an excellent spring, as a perfect 3-for-3 day at the plate Monday lifted his slash line to .326/.434/.488. Unlike Peraza (who is slashing just .167/.273/.188 this spring), Reyes isn't currently on the 40-man roster, but Kirschner speculates that New York may end of designating Peraza for assignment, as he's out of minor-league options. If Reyes does get a spot on the Opening Day roster, he'd be unlikely to play every day but could get semi-regular opportunities given his ability to play across both the infield and outfield.
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Yankees' Jake Woodford: Scooped up by New York
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Woodford signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Monday, Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors reports.
Woodford exercised the opt-out clause of his minor-league contract and was released by the Rockies on Sunday, and it didn't take long for the right hander to find a new club. He's expected to begin the 2025 campaign at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and provide organizational depth to the starting rotation.
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Yankees' Alex Jackson: Re-signed to MiLB deal
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The Yankees re-signed Jackson to a minor-league contract Sunday.
Jackson opted out of his minor-league deal with the Yankees after being told he was not going to make the Opening Day roster, but he was quickly re-signed to a new minor-league pact. He will provide catching depth at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
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Yankees' Mark Leiter: Sharp in spring return
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Leiter (back) struck out the side in his lone inning of relief in Saturday's 8-7 Grapefruit League loss to the Phillies.
Leiter made his first appearance since March 6 after a back injury resulted in the Yankees keeping him off the pitching schedule for more than two weeks. The right-hander erased any concern about his health by tossing nine of his 13 pitches for strikes while inducing four swings and misses. He'll likely be ticketed for a middle-relief role with the Yankees to open the season.
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Yankees' Luis Gil: Placed on 60-day IL
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The Yankees placed Gil (lat) on the 60-day injured list Monday.
The transaction frees up a spot on the 40-man roster for left-hander Ryan Yarbrough, who signed a one-year deal Monday. Gil is expected to be sidelined until at least June while he recovers from a high-grade right lat strain.
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Yankees' Max Fried: Hurls 78 pitches in final tune-up
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Fried completed 5.1 innings in a Grapefruit League game against Tampa Bay on Sunday, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four batters.
Fried fell behind early when he served up a two-run home run to Junior Caminero in the first inning, but the star hurler allowed just one more run (and no additional extra-base hits) during the remainder of his outing. Fried pitched well during his first spring with the Yankees, compiling a 3.38 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 12:4 K:BB over 16 innings. The next time he takes the mound in a game, the lefty will be making his regular-season debut for New York. That start is expected to take place Saturday versus Milwaukee.
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Yankees' Ryan Yarbrough: Bound for Bronx on one-year deal
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Yarbrough agreed to a one-year contract with the Yankees on Monday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Yarbrough was released by the Blue Jays on Sunday after opting out of his minor-league contract and he has quickly landed on his feet with another American League East club. The left-hander will provide protection in long relief with the Yankees while Will Warren and Carlos Carrasco hold down spots at the back end of the rotation.
Shewmake was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.
Shewmake will open the season at Triple-A after going 1-for-12 with three strikeouts and a run scored over six games during spring training. The infielder will look to get into more of a groove at the plate with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in order to potentially earn a promotion to the major-league roster down the road this summer.
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Yankees' Will Warren: Secures rotation spot
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Manager Aaron Boone announced Sunday that Warren made the season-opening rotation and will make his first start April 1 versus Arizona, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
The right-hander entered camp with an outside shot to earn a place in the Opening Day rotation, but long-term injuries to Luis Gil (lat) and Gerrit Cole (elbow) blew that door wide open. Warren had a good showing during spring training with a 4.19 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 19:5 K:BB over 19.1 innings, though he did serve up three homers. Clarke Schmidt will begin the season on the IL due to a shoulder issue but may not be sidelined long, so Warren may need a strong start to the campaign in order to retain his rotation spot.
Yankees' Aaron Judge: Gets off schneid with spring homer
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Judge went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a sacrifice fly Saturday in a Grapefruit League loss to Philadelphia.
It's been a rough spring for Judge, who is slashing just .138/.278/.276 over 36 plate appearances. However, the slugger was at least able to avoid going through the exhibition slate without a long ball when he belted a 381-foot, two-run blast to left field in the third inning Saturday. Fantasy managers may remember that Judge had an awful first month last season, batting just .180 with three long balls, but he still finished the campaign with a career-best 1.159 OPS, along with 58 homers and a career-high 144 RBI, so there's no reason to fret about his tepid Grapefruit League stats.
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Yankees' J.C. Escarra: Officially makes team
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Escarra was informed Saturday that he will be on the Yankees' Opening Day roster.
Escarra has had an impressive spring, maintaining a .936 OPS with five extra-base hits across 48 at-bats. It was reported Tuesday that he was in line to make the team as the backup to Austin Wells, and that is now officially the case. In 2024, Escarra maintained a 119 wRC+ across 493 plate appearances combined between Double and Triple-A.
