TAMPA, Fla. — The New York Yankees have most of their Opening Day roster locked in. The lineup is set. The rotation is taking shape. But one spot on the 26-man bench remains up for grabs, and the competition for it has turned into one of the more unusual battles in camp.
It is not the kind of fight that draws headlines. No star is involved. Just a handful of players scrapping to fill a role the Yankees badly need: a versatile defender who can slide across the diamond and cover for injuries already piling up.
With shortstop Anthony Volpe still recovering and third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera working through his own health issues, the final bench spot carries more weight than usual. The Yankees need someone who can play multiple infield positions, provide late-game defense and ideally contribute something at the plate.
The former A’s utility man making noise
Enter Max Schuemann. The 28-year-old infielder, acquired last month from the Athletics in exchange for minor league right-hander Luis Burgos, has quietly put together one of the stronger camps among non-roster invitees. He is 5-for-12 with seven walks and two stolen bases through 19 Grapefruit League plate appearances.
Schuemann played six positions for the A’s last season. He is a natural infielder who spent the most time at second base but is capable at shortstop, which makes him a natural backup for Jose Caballero while Volpe is out.
The numbers with Oakland were not pretty. Schuemann hit .212 with a .603 OPS across 234 games over the past two seasons. But context matters. He played his home games at a minor league ballpark without modern hitting technology. Tools like the Trajekt machine, a pitching simulator that mimics any hurler’s delivery and repertoire, simply were not available.
With the Yankees, Schuemann has used the machine nearly every other day.
“That’s been fun to use,” Schuemann said from Steinbrenner Field. “Whether it benefits me or not, I’m not really sure. But I do feel like it’s helpful for timing going into a game. I mean, you’re basically facing a pitcher before you actually face him.”
He has several minor league options, so he will be with the organization regardless. But a strong finish to camp could earn him the 26th roster spot over J.C. Escarra.
“Really just trying to get my feet on the ground, basically, and show the Yankees that I can play all the positions that I’m set to play,” Schuemann said. “My goal in camp is just check as many boxes as possible.”
Grichuk plays catch-up for outfield bench role
While Schuemann fights for the infield utility spot, Randal Grichuk is trying to lock down the right-handed outfield bench job. The Yankees signed the 34-year-old specifically to hammer left-handed pitching, but a late arrival to camp has left him playing catch-up with barely two weeks before the season opener.
That urgency is why Aaron Boone put Grichuk in the lineup Monday against Pittsburgh right-hander Jose Urquidy rather than waiting for a lefty starter.
“At this point, we’re pretty deep into camp and may not have that luxury,” Boone said.
The Yankees are hoping Grichuk can recapture his 2024 form with the Diamondbacks, when he posted a .913 OPS against lefties. Those numbers dropped sharply last season, falling to a .703 OPS versus lefties split between Arizona and Kansas City.
“I kind of flipped the script, basically, and said ‘No one feels sorry for me,'” Grichuk said. “I’ve got to do it. That’s my role. You’ve got to do your job and go to battle.”
With Grichuk likely claiming an outfield bench spot, switch-hitting prospect Jasson Dominguez appears ticketed for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. That would leave a four-man bench of Grichuk, Escarra, Paul Goldschmidt and Amed Rosario, unless Schuemann forces his way on.
McMahon overhauls his stance to boost the Yankees lineup
The competition at the margins of the roster is playing out alongside a quieter but potentially more impactful development. Ryan McMahon, the Yankees’ starting third baseman, has completely overhauled his batting stance after a winter of work with the club’s hitting coaches.
McMahon had one of the widest stances in baseball last year, averaging 42.7 inches between his feet, the fourth biggest gap in the majors. That spread correlated with a 35.2 percent swing-and-miss rate, the worst among qualified hitters. He struck out 189 times between the Rockies and Yankees.
The new stance is noticeably narrower. McMahon described the old width as a bad habit that had “kind of happened over time.”
Yankees assistant hitting coach Casey Dykes said the staff sees enormous upside if the adjustment sticks.
“You’re always trying to help guys be in a position where they can be multidimensional,” Dykes said. “He can make more contact. He can keep the ball up. He obviously hits the ball hard. He sees the ball really well. We’re trying to put him in a position to maximize all those things.”
McMahon’s underlying numbers support the optimism. His 93.3 mph average exit velocity ranked 14th in baseball last season. He rarely chased pitches outside the zone, finishing between Bryce Harper and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in walk rate. The talent was always there.
“I’m ready,” McMahon said. “I’m ready for some games with some juice.”
Whether the Yankees fill that final bench spot with Schuemann, Escarra or someone else, the shape of this roster will come down to the smallest details over the next two weeks. For a team built to contend, every edge matters.
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