TAMPA, Fla. — The New York Yankees are two weeks from Opening Day and Aaron Boone still does not know what his bench is going to look like. That alone is not unusual for mid-March. What is unusual is how many moving pieces the Yankees manager put into play with a series of comments before Tuesday’s 4-2 win over the Phillies.
McMahon at shortstop. Rice pulled back from catching. Bellinger taking ground balls at first base. Rosario limited to emergency duty at short. At least six players competing for two bench spots. Boone laid it all out and left more questions than answers.
“I don’t know how it’s going to shake out yet, to be honest,” Boone said.
McMahon emerges as surprise shortstop option
The most revealing detail from Boone’s comments was his plan to try Ryan McMahon at shortstop. The Yankees’ starting third baseman is scheduled to start at short when the team visits the Braves in North Port on Friday, with additional reps at the position planned for next week.
Boone said he prefers McMahon at short over Amed Rosario, who will focus on third base, second base and corner outfield spots. Rosario would only play shortstop “in a pinch,” according to the manager.
Aaron Boone let’s out a “damnit” as this Ryan McMahon error at shortstop results in another run pic.twitter.com/1rkBXe60vM
“Does McMahon factor as the backup at shortstop at least initially?” Boone said. “Those are all things we’ve got to still work through.”
The experiment matters because Anthony Volpe is on the injured list recovering from offseason labrum surgery. Volpe is expected to begin taking live at-bats by early April. Until he returns, Jose Caballero will start at short. But the Yankees need a reliable backup behind him, and Boone’s words suggest McMahon is the leading candidate.
That changes the math for the bench. If McMahon can cover shortstop, the Yankees may not need a dedicated backup infielder like Paul DeJong or Max Schuemann on the 26-man roster. That frees up a spot for a bat or an additional versatile piece.
Six players, two spots and no easy answers
Charles Wenzelberg
The Yankees have two open bench spots behind Paul Goldschmidt and Amed Rosario, who are locked in. The candidates include Randal Grichuk, Oswaldo Cabrera, Max Schuemann, Paul DeJong, J.C. Escarra and Jasson Dominguez.
Boone tipped his hand on several of them.
“Grichuk is in the mix,” Boone said. “Cabrera is back in the mix building up slowly. Schuemann’s versatility is really appealing. I feel like DeJong’s looked really good. He can really play shortstop.”
The current favorites appear to be Escarra and Grichuk. If the Yankees go that route, Cabrera would start the season on the injured list. Dominguez and Schuemann would be optioned to Triple-A. DeJong would be reassigned.
Cabrera has been building back slowly after last May’s severe left ankle fracture. He has only recently started playing in games, and the Yankees need to see enough before committing him to the active roster.
Boone also raised the possibility of carrying three catchers, which would further complicate the picture.
“Do we go three catchers right away? Those kind of things all are still working themselves out,” Boone said.
Rice pulled back from catching duties
One of the more surprising developments of camp has been how little catching Ben Rice has done. With starter Austin Wells away representing the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic since March 1, Rice would seem like a natural fill-in behind the plate. Instead, his catching work has been limited to bullpen sessions.
Boone explained that he wants Rice focused on first base during the physical buildup of spring training.
“I want him concentrating on first,” Boone said. “Going back and forth early in spring as you’re building up, it’s physically demanding, especially as hard as Rice works at both positions. So we’re kind of trying to pull him back a little bit.”
But Escarra could become the odd man out in late April or May when Volpe returns from the IL and Caballero shifts into a super-utility role. At that point, the Yankees may lean on Rice to handle backup catching duties, which would open roster flexibility.
“He is capable of doing that,” Boone said of Rice catching. “And obviously with having Goldie on the roster, you can envision a scenario where it really kind of optimizes us to have that availability.”
Chisholm and Caballero return to camp
The Yankees got a boost Wednesday with the return of Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second base and Jose Caballero at shortstop. The likely Opening Day middle infield tandem was back in the lineup against the Blue Jays, giving Boone a look at his starting alignment with the regular season approaching.
Bellinger, meanwhile, continued getting work at first base as part of four consecutive days of reps at the position. Boone does not expect Bellinger to play first much during the regular season, with Rice and Goldschmidt splitting time there, but values the outfielder’s willingness to move around.
“He’s great that way,” Boone said. “He loves it.”
The Yankees open the season March 25 in San Francisco. Boone has roughly two weeks to sort through the Yankees’ roster puzzle. Based on Tuesday’s comments, the sorting is far from done.
