March 4th, 2025: Gil, Injuries, Cole, Rice, Fried, Lombard, Spring Breakout

UPDATE: Will Warren is starting today, not Carlos Rodón. That's what I get for trusting MLB At-Bat for Spring Training starting pitchers. I'm not sure what Rodón will do instead (he does line up to pitch today), though it wouldn't be unusual for a veteran starter to throw a sim game in Tampa rather than go on the road for the third straight start (and to face the same opponent for the second straight start).

ORIGINAL POST: We have reached the dog days of Spring Training. Speaking for myself, the initial excitement of baseball’s return has worn off, and now I find myself looking at the calendar and saying good grief, Opening Day is still three weeks away??? Three weeks and two days, to be precise. We’ll get there eventually. Here now is today’s post.

1. The injuries are mounting, and the Yankees are running out of bodies. Have the Yankees gone more than two consecutive days without an injury this spring? It doesn’t feel like it. It’s been a constant wave of muscle pulls and popped UCLs. Here is all the injury news since Friday’s post:

• Giancarlo Stanton got PRP injections in his elbows. He’ll start the year on the injured list.

• DJ LeMahieu strained his left calf Saturday and will miss “a little bit.”

• Luis Gil has a high grade lat strain and will be shut down at least six weeks.

• JT Brubaker has three broken ribs and they’re “going to cost him some time.”

Stanton is still away from the Yankees tending to a personal matter in New York, though he’s continued to receive treatment while there, including the PRP injections. He’s expected to return to camp in the coming days. Whether he discusses the personal matter is up to him. As for the injury, no one seems to know how long he’ll be sidelined. The Yankees only said Giancarlo will start the season on the injured list.

“The biggest thing is getting him right, and if that costs us a little bit on the front end, so be it,” Aaron Boone told Bryan Hoch over the weekend. “I do feel like we’ll get to a good spot with this. It’s a long year.”

LeMahieu made his spring debut Saturday and managed to pull his calf in his second at-bat (as the DH, no less). He’ll have an MRI today. Hard to see him being ready for Opening Day. He's barely played this spring. LeMahieu has been so unproductive and unavailable the last few years that it’s hard to say the Yankees will miss him. I mean, they’re probably better off without him given last season’s near-MLB-worst -1.6 WAR. But still, it’s yet another injury for a team without much position player depth.

“I wanted to come in this spring and prove that I’m healthy, and I’m not off to the hottest start with that,” LeMahieu told Pete Caldera over the weekend. “… It’s not anything major, but it’s probably going to be a little bit. I can’t put a timeline on it.”

As for Gil, he felt discomfort during Friday’s bullpen and shut it down after a few pitches. An MRI revealed the lat strain. Those suckers can be season-killers. Clarke Schmidt missed four months with a lat strain last year. Dellin Betances and Luis Severino each suffered one in Spring Training 2019 and it cost them just about the entire season. Since 2021, the average lat strain absence is 78 days, per the Baseball Prospectus Recovery Database. That’s all lat strains, not just high grade strains, so yeah. This is bad.

Gil has a lengthy arm injury history, including shoulder surgery in rookie ball and Tommy John surgery in 2022, and he set a new career high by 51 innings last year. Rarely does that go unpunished. The World Series trip also meant he had less time to recover this offseason. These things add up. The best case scenario is a six-week shutdown and then a six or so week buildup, and a return in late May or June. That assumes no hiccups, and how often are there no hiccups?

“It’s definitely not the best feeling when they tell you something like that," Gil told Hoch. “You’re not waiting for news like that. It’s a tough moment right there to digest. You’ve got to start thinking of how to move forward, whatever the journey might be.”

This is the fourth straight year the Yankees have lost a projected rotation member to injury in Spring Training. It was Domingo Germán in 2022, Carlos Rodón and Severino in 2023, Gerrit Cole in 2024, and now Gil in 2025. Are the Yankees doing something wrong? Yeah, maybe, but Cole had a nerve issue, not structural damage, and the other four guys have long injury histories. Pitchers get hurt. News at 11.

(Look, we have no idea if the Astros really wanted Gil in a Kyle Tucker trade, but Jack Curry reported the Yankees made him off-limits, and if Jack says it, I believe it. (Curry said it again during Saturday’s YES broadcast.) Taking Gil off the table for Tucker looked bad at the time and even worse now.)

Gil’s injury solves the “Marcus Stroman wants to be a starter” problem, which was never really a “problem” to begin with. I thought the Yankees would trade Stroman before Opening Day, and I guess they still could trade him, but nah. They need him in the rotation now. There was always a chance this would turn into a “good thing they kept him!” situation, and here we are. These things always take care of themselves. Always.

“He’s been down this road (with a major injury) before and proven himself. It’s different obviously, but I think he’s at least in the right frame of mind to go attack it and try to get it right,” Boone told Hoch. “... We still feel like we have good depth. You know these things are unfortunately going to come and pop up at different times of the year.”

I don’t expect the Yankees to go outside the organization for rotation help. They wouldn’t spend on a third baseman. I doubt they’ll spend on a new No. 6 starter. In the unlikely event the Yankees do bring in pitching, Kyle Gibson is the best available free agent (the Brewers snagged Jose Quintana), though they could always sign David Robertson and stick with Stroman and Will Warren as rotationers. Not expecting it though.

Brubaker managed to break three ribs ducking out of the way of that comebacker the Friday before last (video). I’m not even mad. I’m impressed. Brubaker missed 2023 and 2024 with Tommy John surgery and an oblique strain. Now he’ll miss the start of 2025 as well. Two weeks ago I made the mistake of saying I’m intrigued by Brubaker and think he could surprise us this year. My bad. The Axisa curse lives on.

Add these injuries to all the other injuries (don’t forget Chase Hampton and Thatcher Hurd!) and the Yankees are slated to open the season with seven players on the injured list. Maybe eight depending how things are going for Clayton Beeter as he builds up from an offseason shoulder issue. He’s yet to appear in a spring game yet, so who knows. Here’s the updated roster (asterisk means the player is out of options):

Grisham made his Grapefruit League debut Monday night after nursing his way back from an offseason hamstring injury. The Yankees really need him. I’m not sure they can afford to lose any more position players at this point. Also, Hamilton has an infection and has been away from the Yankees the last few days. Sounds like he’ll rejoin the team soon. Still, it’s another guy dealing with another thing.

Some of those TBDs we can kinda fill in now. Rice seems like a good bet for an Opening Day roster spot. Whether he’s the backup catcher or strictly a first base/DH guy is another matter. Smith hit some homers early in camp, but a) there’s a long track record of mediocrity here, and b) how many first base/DH types do you want on the roster? Would the Yankees really carry Goldschmidt and Rice and Smith? Maybe they would. They’ve done stranger things.

The Yankees traded for Jon Berti at the end of camp last year and signed Franchy Cordero the day before Opening Day the year before that. With the injuries mounting, the chances the Yankees will add a player before Opening Day are increasing*. It doesn’t have to be a forever addition. Just a body to help them get through the early part of the season, until they get healthy or someone better comes along. An addition is beginning to feel necessary.

* Utility guys Kody Clemens and Buddy Kennedy are out of options and battling for one bench spot with the Phillies. Maybe the loser of that battle shakes loose for the Yankees? Kennedy would fit better as a righty bench bat. ZiPS pegs him as a .328 OBP and 93 OPS+ guy. Not bad for a bench dude.

Matzek can opt out of his minor league contract at the end of camp and is worth keeping if he continues to look good this spring. Gómez, my No. 25 prospect, is out of options and the injuries buy the Yankees time. Rather than make a roster decision at the end of camp, they could take Gómez into the season as a low leverage guy, and see what’s what. With all the injuries, might as well keep the depth, no?

(Gómez has not thrown more than one inning or 23 pitches in any of his three appearances this spring. He’s been a starter his entire career, but it seems a move into short relief is underway.)

Maybe the injuries open the door for Carrasco? Like Matzek, Carrasco can opt out of his contract at the end of camp. It has been a decade since Carrasco last pitched out of the bullpen, though I get the sense he’s just happy to be there and will do whatever the team needs. I can’t say I expected to be sitting here talking about Carrasco and Matzek as Opening Day roster candidates on March 4th. Yeesh.

There’s also Warren, who’s looked very good early in Spring Training. With Gil hurt, it makes sense to stash Warren in Triple-A and keep him stretched out as a starter. But also, if the Yankees think he’s one of their 13 best pitchers, putting him on the Opening Day roster is fine with me. Guys can learn a lot in the bullpen. We’ll see what the rest of the spring brings. The door is open(ing) for Warren though.

The Yankees are a pitching and defense team now and the pitching has taken a few hits this spring, most notably Gil. At the same time, the Yankees lose a starter and Stanton to injury every season, and it’s not like LeMahieu is a major loss these days. All of this isn’t anything new. It just sucks it happened so early. The Yankees have been hit with a full spring’s worth of injuries and Opening Day is still three weeks away.

2. Grapefruit League observations. What's with the low power minor leaguers blasting homers this spring? Last post I mentioned Alex Vargas has two home runs this spring after hitting four all last year. On Saturday, Cole Gabrielson smashed a grand slam (video). He didn’t hit a single home run in 285 plate appearances in 2024. The Yankees signed Gabrielson as an undrafted free agent in 2023. For a guy like him, an organizational depth outfielder, a grand slam in a Grapefruit League game could be the highlight of his career. Good for him. On a similar note, righty Cole Zaffiro pitched last Thursday. He came in with the bases loaded and had to clean up an inning. It was his pro debut! The Yankees signed Zaffiro as an undrafted free agent last July and had him work on pitch design after signing. Last Thursday was his first time pitching in a pro game of any kind. He said his legs were shaking, per Bryan Hoch. Who knows how things will play out for Gabrielson and Zaffiro moving forward, but for a lot of guys, stray appearances in big league spring games is as good as it gets. Here are a few thoughts on the last few games.

Cole working on his changeup (and sinker)

Gerrit Cole made his Grapefruit League debut Friday and it went well: 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K (video) against a Blue Jays lineup short on regulars. Cole threw 46 pitches. It was very much a “veteran pitcher getting his work in on March 1st” outing. “I feel way different (than this time last spring). I really like where I’m at. I liked what I saw,” he told Greg Joyce. The ace is happy and healthy. Works for me.

As he tends to do this time of year, Cole tinkered with a new-ish pitch Friday, specifically his changeup. He threw 62 changeups all last season, if you can believe that. He’s a fastball/curveball/cutter guy against lefties. The changeup has never really been a feature pitch for him. Cole threw 62 changeups all last year and 15 changeups Friday night alone. 15 changeups, seven swings, three misses on the night. 

“The more he throws it, the better it’s going to be,” Austin Wells, who caught Cole on Friday, told Hoch. “And either way, we’re going to throw it.”

Unlike Will Warren, who’s showing more drop on his changeup this spring, Cole’s changeup had roughly the same movement as it did during his five years as a Yankee …

… though he did shave about 1 mph off last year’s average, which could easily be a “it’s early March and he’s still building arm strength” thing and not a change to the pitch. Based on those 15 changeups Friday, Cole isn’t working on a new changeup and he hasn’t tweaked his existing changeup. It’s roughly the same pitch shape as in the past. He’s just working to gain more comfort with it, it seems like.

Mario Delgado Genzor (subs. req’d) recently wrote about Cole’s evolution from premier bat-misser to contact manager. He gave up a league-leading 33 home runs in 200.2 innings in 2022. In the two years since, he’s given up 31 homers in 304 innings. It’s not just the homers though. The on-contact results have been much better overall. Removing at-bats the end in a strikeout gives us:

• 2022: .320/.384/.599

• 2023-24: .296/.353/.468

• 2024 MLB average: .325/.402/.533

To put it another way, Cole’s xwOBA on contact went from .393 in 2022 to .363 the last two years. The MLB average is a .368 xwOBA on contact. Cole is managing contact better. He’s doing that with the cutter he picked up two years ago, with some pitch sequencing stuff, and also with better fastball location. When he misses his fastball, Cole tends to miss up above the zone now. The middle-middle misses are limited.

Cole threw a few sinkers late last year, his first sinkers since 2021, and he threw 11 sinkers Friday. That and the changeup seem like the next step in his evolution. Cole is 34 now and there has been velocity loss the last few years. He’s more 95-96 mph than 97-98 mph these days, and the 99s are less frequent. It’s normal age-related stuff and 95-96 is still plenty of velocity, but Cole’s velocity decline is real. 

Some guys lose velocity and have a hard time adjusting, and their effectiveness tanks. Cole has adapted like Mike Mussina did way back when and CC Sabathia did at the end of his career. The cutter came first, the sinker resurfaced last year, and now the changeup is a Spring Training project. It’s not guaranteed to work or be an effective pitch, but I trust Cole to figure it out. If nothing else, he’s giving it a try this spring.

“It’s a long road to mastery for me of that pitch,” Cole told Hoch. “It’s been fun to tinker with it and get comfortable with a grip. Now it’s about the consistency and how I maintain the arm speed and location. I thought it had both of those qualities tonight, so it’s encouraging.”

Ben looks big

Ben Rice is in the The Best Shape of his Life. Well, I don’t know if that’s true, but he is noticeably bigger and more filled out through his chest and arms this spring. “I think the ball’s coming off the bat harder, for sure. Putting more mass on the ball so it’s going to come off harder,” Rice told Joyce last week. He said he added about 10 lbs. of muscle, though it wouldn’t surprise me if it was a bit more.

As for “putting more mass on the ball so it’s going to come off harder,” yeah, mission accomplished. Rice hit a home run Saturday (video) and it was his hardest hit ball at any level in any year, and not by a little either. Here are Rice’s highest tracked exit velocities:

1. March 1st, 2025: 113.3 mph (Spring Training)
2. Feb. 25th, 2025: 111.1 mph (Spring Training)
3. July 6th, 2024: 110.8 mph (MLB)
4. July 12th, 2022: 110.8 mph (Low-A)
5. Several tied at 109.4 mph

“I’m excited about Ben,” Boone told Joyce. “I think he’s going to be a really good hitter in the league. He’s made huge strides in his body this winter. He’s added really good weight and strength and it shows up in his testing. I think he’s a guy (that can) be an impact hitter in the league. He continues to impress us with the work he’s doing behind the plate.”

Getting stronger is an obvious plus, though it’s not like Rice was getting the bat knocked out of his hands last year. He swung and missed an awful lot last season, especially against non-fastballs, which was at least a little surprising given his performance against non-fastballs in the minors. Then again, big league sliders and curveballs and changeups are a different animal. Rice learned that the hard way a year ago.

Giancarlo Stanton’s injury opens the DH spot, and although history tells us the Yankees will rotate players through the DH spot during Stanton’s absence, the injury does open a roster spot. Rice could’ve made the Opening Day roster as the backup catcher anyway, but now there’s another path to making the team. With this added strength, Rice could be a real problem for opposing pitches if he gets the bat on the ball more often. If he hits like he did in the minors, he’ll be on the roster one way or another.

“It’s wherever I can get in the lineup,” Rice told Joyce about possibly making the team. “If it’s catching, I’m all for it. If it’s at first base, I’m all for it.”

Latest roster cuts

The Yankees have begun trimming down their Spring Training roster. They made four rounds of roster cuts since Friday’s post. One before Saturday’s game, one after Saturday’s game, one after Sunday’s game, and another before Monday’s game. Here’s who’s been sent across the street to minor league camp (no one here is on the 40-man roster, so these guys were “reassigned” rather than “optioned”):

• Catchers: Ronaldo Hernández, Omar Martínez

• Infielders: Roderick Arias

• Outfielders: Brennen Davis

• Righties: Sean Boyle, Chase Hampton, Cristian Hernández, Kevin Stevens, Leonardo Pestana, Cam Schlittler

• Lefties: Jayvien Sandridge

Davis, a former top 100 prospect, has yet appear in a game this spring. He must be hurt (Davis has a long injury history). Hampton had Tommy John surgery not even two weeks ago. He’ll do his rehab work at the minor league complex, which at this point isn’t much actual work. Hampton’s still in the “keep the elbow immobilized and keep the rest of your body moving” phase of rehab. 

Boyle struck out six in 5.2 scoreless innings this spring. He’s a sneaky candidate to give the Yankees innings in a Josh Maciejewski kinda way this year. That longtime organizational arm who comes up for 7-10 days as a long man 2-3 times a year, pitches once, then goes back down for a fresh arm. Boyle’s a funky low arm slot guy. He’d bring a little levity to a pitching crisis (remember Friday’s K/HBP combo?).

“He’s interesting,” Boone told Erik Boland about Boyle. “Good, natural right-on-right guy. He’s got that good two-seamer. Looks like he’s got some command. He’s a guy that could absolutely figure into things as time goes on.”

Arias went 3-for-7 with a double before being sent out. It’s at least a little notable that he was sent to minor league camp while George Lombard Jr. stays with the big leaguers. Lombard will go down soon though. Maybe even later today. No one here had a realistic shot at the Opening Day roster. I count 60 players still in big league camp. Three weeks to whittle it down to 26.

Miscellany

I didn’t have time to really dig into Max Fried’s spring debut Monday (blame the night game), but he looked fine. Like a veteran starter making his first spring start: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K (video) on 49 pitches. Matt Blake said the Yankees had some ideas to “tighten the screws” on some of Fried’s pitches, and it looks like there’s something going on with his changeup. Compared to last year, the changeup had 2 mph less velocity (his other pitches were right at their 2024 velocities), an additional 400 rpm of spin, and several more inches of horizontal movement. He only threw six changeups (Statcast misclassified two sinkers as changeups live during the game), so this is maybe a thing right now, not definitely a thing … Wells got the start at leadoff Friday (and Sunday) and slugged a leadoff homer (video). I mentioned him as a leadoff candidate last month. He’s the best count-worker on the team after Aaron Judge and he can give you a quick 1-0 lead, like he did Friday. “This is something I could see,” Boone told Hoch about hitting Wells leadoff during the regular season. I dig it … Great weekend for Lombard. He made a slick play at third Friday (video), hit a homer off the scoreboard Saturday (video), then hit a homer to cap off a nine-pitch at-bat Monday (video). Like Gabrielson and Vargas, Lombard is another one of those low power minor leaguers hitting home runs this spring. Two homers this spring, five all of last year. Go figure … We don’t get public Statcast from the Braves’ Spring Training park and that’s good for Marcus Stroman. Four runs (two homers) in 2.2 innings with a lot of loud contact and long fly balls Sunday. A veteran like Stroman is not chasing results on March 2nd. Worry if this is still happening in four weeks, not now … And finally, righty Sean Hermann was on Friday’s lineup card as an available pitcher. He was my No. 28 prospect going into 2023. He had an okay season, then he blew out and missed 2024 with Tommy John surgery. Glad to see he’s healthy. Hermann won’t ever be a tippy top prospect, but he has ability. Still only 21 too.

Injury updates

Clarke Schmidt (back) threw 20 or so pitches of live BP on Saturday. He’ll do that one more time before getting into a Grapefruit League game. That only leaves enough time for three spring starts. It’s looking like Schmidt won’t be fully stretched out to begin the regular season. He might only be a 75-pitch guy the first time out. We’ll see … Scroll higher up in this post to see the latest injury news on Stanton, JT Brubaker, Luis Gil, and DJ LeMahieu.

Up Next

March has arrived and Opening Day is three weeks and two days away. Here’s the full spring broadcast schedule and here’s what’s coming up between now and Friday’s post:

• Tuesday at Phillies: Carlos Rodón (1pm ET on MLB.com live stream)

• Wednesday: off-day

• Thursday vs. Twins: Gerrit Cole (1pm ET on YES, Gotham)

Back-to-back starts in Clearwater for Rodón? His first spring start was on the road too. He must’ve drawn the short straw among the veteran pitchers. Anyway, Devin Williams threw live BP on Saturday and will make his spring debut later today. Not sure what the plan is for Luke Weaver. He might debut later today too. He’s been throwing live BP on the same days as Williams. Will the Yankees stretch him out to be a 2-3 inning guy? I’d like it, but if he’s a one-inning guy, he’s a one-inning guy.

3. Prospects I want to see at Spring Breakout. Spring Breakout, MLB’s second annual spring prospect showcase game, is coming up next week. The rosters will be finalized Thursday and I assume announced to the world shortly thereafter. Here are the details for this year’s Yankees’ Spring Breakout game:

• When: Saturday, March 15th at 6pm ET

• Where: Ed Smith Stadium (Sarasota) vs. Orioles

• TV: MLB Network (per their listings)

The Yankees blew the Blue Jays out in last year’s Spring Breakout. Spencer Jones hit two home runs and Brock Selvidge struck out eight in four scoreless innings. This year, the big leaguers will play the Rays in Port Charlotte that afternoon, then the prospects will play Spring Breakout against the Orioles in Sarasota that evening. Bit of a weird schedule. Why not just play Rays prospects? Eh, whatever.

I fared well with my Spring Breakout roster prediction last year: 19 of the 26 players in my roster projection were on what was ultimately a 24-man roster. I don’t want to try to predict the full roster again. That was a lot of work for not much reward. Instead, I’m going to go through each position and list the players I hope to see at Spring Breakout. The prospects I want to get eyes on. Sound good? Let’s get to it.

Catcher: Edgleen Perez

Last year’s catchers: Ben Rice and Rafael Flores 

My guess is Flores will get the start at catcher this year. He is the consensus best catcher prospect in the system, so it wouldn’t be undeserved, but Perez is the new hotness, so that’s who I want to see. My No. 15 prospect hit .283/.444/.380 (138 wRC+) with more walks (20.8%) than strikeouts (16.2%) in rookie ball last season. Perez is only 18, but we’re talking about a prospect showcase game here, not sending him to Triple-A. I hope Perez gets into Spring Breakout. He’s got a chance to be the Next Big Thing.

First base: Engelth Urena

Last year’s first basemen: TJ Rumfield and Jesus Rodriguez

Unless the kid has enormous power, first base prospects aren’t worth getting overly excited about. It's not like the Yankees have a great one anyway. Urena, my No. 28 prospect, is a catcher by trade, though he’s an inexperienced one and a poor defender. He started more games at first base (17) and DH (11) than catcher (10) last year, in part because he was on the same team as Perez. Urena can hit though: .301/.420/.564 (161 wRC+) with eight homers in 40 rookie ball games. Give him a first baseman’s mitt for Spring Breakout. Rumfield’s gotten into six Grapefruit League games this spring. I don’t need to see his poor man’s Casey Kotchman act any more than I already am.

Middle infield: Roderick Arias and George Lombard Jr.

Last year’s middle infielders: Arias and Lombard

Pretty easy calls here. Arias and Lombard played the full Spring Breakout game last year – Arias started at short and Lombard at second, then they swapped positions after four innings – and they should do the same this year. They’re far and away the best infield prospects in the system and they’re two of the best prospects in the system period. Put ‘em in the starting lineup and let ‘em go. We’ve seen both a good deal this spring and I want more.

Third base: Jorbit Vivas, I guess?

Last year’s third basemen: Vivas and Keiner Delgado

The Yankees don’t have a true third base prospect. They have prospects who might wind up at third base down the line, but no one who is locked in at the hot corner now. It’s fine. Not a huge deal. Lombard at third, Arias at short, and someone like Vivas, Roc Riggio, or Enmanuel Tejeda at second might be the way to go in Spring Breakout, honestly. Basically, as long as Arias and Lombard are in the lineup, I don’t care how the Yankees align them or who they put on the infield with them. 

Outfield: Spencer Jones, Garrett Martin, Brian Sanchez

Last year’s outfielders: Jones, Jace Avina, John Cruz, Caleb Durbin, Anthony Hall, Everson Pereira

I forgot Durbin played left field in Spring Breakout last year. It was his first game in the outfield at any level (college and pro ball) and it was the first sign the Yankees wanted to increase his versatility. Durbin went on to play 14 games in the outfield last season. Durbin, Jones, and Pereira were the starters in last year’s Spring Breakout. The other guys came off the bench in the late innings.

The system is in a weird place right now, outfield-wise. Spring Breakout was made to showcase guys like Jones, so he’ll be there this year. But top prospect Jasson Domínguez is a big leaguer, not a Spring Breakouter, and Pereira is still DHing only as he wraps up his elbow surgery rehab. Domínguez and Pereira are the two best non-Jones outfield prospects in the system, but they won’t play the outfield in Spring Breakout for different reasons.

Martin’s not a top prospect (or even a medium prospect), but he is very toolsy and has huge power, and I would like to watch him run around the outfield and hopefully run into a fastball during Spring Breakout. Sanchez was one of my Not Top 30 Prospects. He’s coming off a .306/.394/.514 (143 wRC+) rookie ball line a year ago and, honestly, he might be the best outfield prospect in the system behind Domínguez, Jones, and Pereira.

As for the DH spot, the Yankees might as well put Pereira there in Spring Breakout since that’s all he can do right now. Agustin Ramirez started at DH last year and Enmanuel Tejeda replaced him in the late innings. If the Yankees keep Pereira in big league camp, maybe the move is Flores at DH and Perez at catcher? That gets both in the starting lineup. They're two of the better position player prospects in the system, so they should both start.

Pitchers: Bryce Cunningham, Ben Hess, Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz

Last year’s pitchers: Brock Selvidge, Henry Lalane, Jack Neely

Spring Breakout is a seven-inning game and last year Selvidge threw the first four innings, Lalane the next two, and Neely the last one. On the other side, the Blue Jays used seven pitchers in seven innings. Every team treated Spring Breakout differently. Some used a different pitcher every inning to get more guys into the game, others used a few guys for multiple innings each, etc. I’d prefer a new pitcher every inning just to see as many different pitchers as possible, but that’s just me. I’m not sure how the Yankees plan to approach their Spring Breakout this year. They might not yet know how they will either.

Cam Schlittler has gotten talked up the last few weeks, though he started this past Saturday, so he won’t line up to pitch Spring Breakout next Saturday. Not unless he goes on short rest or extended rest, and there’s no need for that. Will Warren is technically a prospect, though he is too vital as rotation depth to throw in a showcase game. Chase Hampton’s injured. I’m not sure what’s up with Clayton Beeter and his shoulder.

I hope to see last year’s top two draft picks (Cunningham and Hess) and the offseason’s notable prospect pickup (Rodriguez-Cruz) in Spring Breakout. Rodriguez-Cruz was listed as an available pitcher on Friday’s lineup card. I have not seen Cunningham or Hess on one yet, which isn’t unusual for recent draft picks. We’re unlikely to see either guy in a Grapefruit League game. That’s why I want to see them in Spring Breakout. The case can be made these three have the biggest, most powerful arms in the system.

I should mention that the O’s Spring Training park does not provide public Statcast data, so we won’t have any exit velocity or bat speed or velocity or spin data for the prospects in Spring Breakout. That means I’ll be able to turn my brain off for seven innings and just watch baseball, rather than think about What It All Means. If nothing else, Spring Breakout is a nice break from the monotony of Spring Training. The roster’s coming soon. I hope Hess and/or Cunningham are on it more than anyone.

4. Rapid fire thoughts. Jon Heyman (subs. req’d) says the Yankees made “some contact” with J.D. Martinez recently. I’m going to guess “some contact” means “will you take a non-roster deal?” There’s no harm in checking in on anyone, though I was worried this meant bad news was coming for Giancarlo Stanton. A day later, the Yankees announced he got PRP injections in his elbows and would miss the start of the season. Blah … And finally, happy trails, Lucas Luetge. He announced his retirement over the weekend. The Yankees signed Luetge to a minor league contract in Dec. 2020, he gave them 129.2 innings with a 2.71 ERA (2.92 FIP) from 2021-22, then they traded him for Caleb Durbin. Durbin later helped get Devin Williams. Luetge was very effective and also one of the easier to root for Yankees the last few years. Enjoy retirement, my man.

(Send your requests for Friday's mailbag to RABmailbag at gmail dot com. The random Yankee series is on hiatus, but feel free to send in requests for when it returns.)