March 19th, 2024: Cortes, Spring Breakout, Judge, LeMahieu, Warren, Gil, Beeter, Snell

Opening Day is next Thursday and I will once again have 10 bold predictions for the upcoming season. I’m going to break those out into a separate post this year, so look for those Monday. I went 2-for-10 last year, and a .200 average makes me a true 2023 Yankee. I’ll never repeat my 7-for-10 showing in 2017, the first time I did these bold predictions, but I hope to nail 3-4 this year. Let’s now get to today’s post.

1. Nasty Nestor on Opening Day. Nestor Cortes was officially named the Opening Day starter late last week. This was more or less expected given the calendar and how everyone lined up, and now it’s official. Nasty Nestor in Game 1, Carlos Rodón in Game 2, Marcus Stroman in Game 3, Clarke Schmidt in Game 4, and a pitcher still to be determined in Game 5. Write it in (erasable) ink.

“It’s special. Obviously under the circumstances we are now (with Gerrit Cole hurt), it’s not ideal, but you’re happy when you’re named Opening Day starter. It’s cool. It’s something to add to the resume for sure,” Cortes told Bryan Hoch. “... I’ve kind of always been the up-and-down guy earlier in my career. At best a fifth starter. I was able to get the All-Star under my belt, but (Opening Day) was far-fetched for me. I’m just happy that Aaron Boone and the organization have the trust in me to go out there for the first game.”

Unless Blake Snell is far enough along with his preparation that he can start next Thursday, this will be the first time both reigning Cy Young winners do not start Opening Day since 2005. That year Johan Santana started the second game for the Twins behind stalwart Brad Radke, and Rogers Clemens started the third game for the Astros. They went with Roy Oswalt and Andy Pettitte before Clemens.

Cortes will join Stan Bahnsen (1971), Doc Medich (1975), Ron Guidry (1978-80, 1982-84, 1986), and Pettitte (1998) as the only pitchers drafted and signed by the Yankees to make an Opening Day start for the Yankees. Pettitte really only made one Opening Day start for the Yankees, huh? I guess there was always a Clemens or David Cone or CC Sabathia around to start Game 1 instead. Pettitte was the quintessential Game 2 starter.

According to the folks at Baseball Reference, Cortes will be the second lowest drafted player to start Opening Day. He was the 1,094th selection in 2013 (36th round). Mark Buehrle was the 1,139th pick in 1998 (38th round). That’s among players who signed at that draft slot. I guess there are a few guys who got picked lower but didn’t sign, then got drafted higher a few years later, and eventually started Opening Day.

Cortes threw a four-inning simulated game Friday and he’ll make his final Grapefruit League start Thursday, on the road against the Braves. He’ll have two extra days of rest heading into Opening Day – “The more rest, the better,” Cortes told Hoch – and then he’ll shift to a five-day routine. Nestor will make his second regular season start on normal rest in the sixth game of the year, in Arizona against the Diamondbacks.

The Yankees asked Stroman if he wanted the Opening Day start once Cole went down, but he opted to stay on schedule and continue preparing for the third game of the season. And apparently some people are upset about this? I didn’t realize this was a thing until a pal mentioned it. The Yankees need Stroman for the long haul. No sense in rearranging his schedule this late in Spring Training for what amounts to a ceremonial start.

“I think they thought that I was going to be like, ‘Hey, let me get it.’ That’s not my nature, man. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m confident in whoever goes out there from this squad to get the job done. At the end of the day, it’s just another game. I’m not someone who is going to be upset if I don’t get the Opening Day nod,” Stroman told Hoch. “I’m trying to go out there for 30-plus starts. That’s the goal for me. I have confidence in anybody we throw out there for Opening Day. At this point, it’s too hard to get on schedule and on track. They came to me, but like I said, they agreed and I agreed also that it was probably best to stay on the schedule we came up with.”

It’s easy to think Opening Day has increased importance and sets the tone for the rest of the season, or even just the first few weeks of the season, but it really is just another game. Cole struck out 11 and threw six shutout innings on Opening Day last year. Chien-Ming Wang outdueled Roy Halladay on Opening Day 2008. CC Sabathia’s line on Opening Day 2009 was ghastly: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 BB, 0 K. Opening Day isn’t gonna tell you much about how the rest of the season will play out. It’s just 1 of 162.

I’m bummed Cole is injured but I’m happy for Cortes. The guy was a 36th round pick, he was a Rule 5 Draft pick who got returned, he was DFAed three times, he rejoined the Yankees on a minor league deal and spent time at the alternate site in 2021, and now he’s an All-Star and an Opening Day starter. When he’s at his best, Nestor is as fun as any pitcher the Yankees have had since El Duque. I look forward to seeing him at his best during Game 1 in Houston.

2. Yankees win Spring Breakout. Spring Breakout was a lot of fun, no? The Yankees beat the Blue Jays so bad you’d think Toronto started Alek Manoah (heyo!). Director of baseball development Mario Garza was the acting manager, and if the name sounds familiar, it’s because Garza filled in as first base coach for a few games during a COVID outbreak in 2021. Special advisor Nick Swisher and vibes coach Derek Dietrich were on the staff with Garza, apparently. I saw them in the dugout.

The highlight of Spring Breakout was Spencer Jones smashing two home runs and legging out an infield single (video). The first homer sounded like it was shot out of a cannon and the second homer landed in the camera tower to the left of the batters’ eye. Jones has lowered his hands this spring …

… and hopefully that allows him to get the ball in the air more often. He had a 46.9% ground ball rate last season and you’d really like a guy with his power to be somewhere in the 30% range, if not below that. For all his power, Jones hit only 16 homers in 547 plate appearances last year. It’s raw power more than game power. The Yankees are still trying to unlock Jones.

“They’re all cool. All home runs are fun, right? But that one was fun. Getting to share it with the guys in that dugout was pretty cool,” Jones told Bryan Hoch about his Spring Breakout dingers. “... It was really cool that MLB provided a platform for a lot of us guys to get out here and play on television. I think it was well-run and it was just a fun baseball game. We were all excited about it. It was really cool.”

(I apologize the swings aren’t synced up in the GIF. My GIF maker was being fussy and I gave up after the second try. It still gets the point across. Jones’ hands are lower this year.)

The Yankees really worked the Blue Jays hard during Spring Breakout. Toronto used seven pitchers in six innings and needed 133 pitches to get 18 outs. They averaged 4.6 pitches per plate appearance. Three Yankees pitchers threw 113 pitches to get 21 outs. I thought we’d see more pitchers – I hoped to see Kyle Carr and Carlos Lagrange in particular – but what we did see was really freaking good.

Maybe I’d feel differently if the Yankees lost 9-1 rather than won 9-1 (here’s the box score), but Spring Breakout was a lot of fun and a great way to break up the monotony of Spring Training. I hope it becomes an annual thing (all indications are it will). Here now are a few more thoughts on Spring Breakout.

Selvidge shines

Brock Selvidge, my No. 18 prospect, started and flat out dominated for four innings: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K (video). The one hit was a leadoff triple in the fourth inning. Jones probably could have caught it, but I’m glad he pulled up and didn’t run into the wall. No matter, Selvidge picked him up and struck out the next three batters to strand the runner at third. Thirteen batters faced, eight strikeouts.

“I had a lot of fun,” Selvidge told Hoch. “My biggest goal today was to try and simplify it. This is the same game I’ve played since I was five years old. Obviously it’s a bigger stage with more fans. Just a cool experience. But I was just out here having fun with my boys.”

Selvidge is a slider specialist and he threw his slider plenty Saturday – 37 of 60 pitches (62%) – and he has two different sliders. He used his sweeper as a putaway pitch with two strikes and his traditional slider in all other counts. Seems like Selvidge uses the shorter, more traditional slider when he wants/needs to land it for a strike. They are two different pitches though. Here’s the horizontal vs. vertical movement graph:

Although he’s only 21 and has yet to pitch above Single-A, Selvidge is developing a reputation as a big game pitcher. He threw three no-hit innings (while on a pitch count) in Game 1 of the Florida Complex League Championship Series in 2022, and last year he struck out seven in 6.2 innings and got the win in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the South Atlantic League Division Series. Then he shoved in Spring Breakout. Was Spring Breakout really a “big” game? Maybe not to us, but to Selvidge I’m sure it was.

Anyway, Selvidge’s fastball is only average-ish (average 93.4 mph on Saturday) and the changeup is a work in progress. The slider(s) is his moneymaker and it’s a good one – they both averaged a tick above 2,900 rpm Saturday, which is elite spin – but throwing 62% sliders is not sustainable as a starter. It was 45% in Low-A last year, and even that’s excessive. Improving the changeup is a must to remain a starter.

It can be difficult to not let one performance influence your opinion of a player, and that’s especially true when a prospect shows out like Selvidge did in Spring Breakout. He’s a good prospect who’s made strides since being a third round pick in 2021, and Saturday was a blast. If anything, it shows he has a good chance to at least be a reliever because his slider(s) is so good. Selvidge still has a few things to work on to stay in the rotation though. Great performance Saturday. I hope it’s a springboard to a breakout season.

Arias needs a second helmet

Roderick Arias wore No. 13 for Spring Breakout and I sure hope the Yankees intentionally gave Rod-A that number. Or should it be No. 31? Either way, Arias had No. 13. Also, someone get my guy a second helmet. He’s a switch-hitter and apparently he only has a left-handed batting helmet. Arias had to hit against a lefty with the face guard on the wrong side:

Maybe Arias forgot his other helmet at the minor league complex (or didn’t think he’d need it)? But even then wouldn’t he just use someone else’s helmet to make sure he’s protected? Weird. Gonna need someone to get to the bottom of this.

Anyway, Arias went 0-for-2 with two walks and a strikeout. He and George Lombard Jr. split time at second base and shortstop – Arias started at short, Lombard started at second, and they swapped positions in the fifth inning – and unfortunately we didn’t get to see Arias really air out a throw. He has an excellent arm, one of the strongest in the minors, but he didn’t get to show it off. Too bad.

Lalane’s fastball/changeup separation

Bronx-born southpaw Henry Lalane, my No. 7 prospect, threw two innings after Selvidge and sheesh, that kid has some changeup. It’s a good changeup period, not just good for a 19-year-old. His fastball averaged 93.4 mph and the changeup averaged 81.6 mph on Saturday, so that’s 11.8 mph of separation. The MLB average fastball/changeup separation was 7.9 mph in 2023 and only a handful of pitchers who regularly throw changeups are north of 10 mph.

Lalane threw eight changeups, hitters swung at five of them, and three of the five swings missed. He threw five sliders, got three swings, and all three missed. That’s six whiffs on eight swings against non-fastballs. Add in the fastball and it was nine whiffs on 21 swings overall, or 43%. It’s one two-inning outing and Lalane faced a lot of rookie ball kids, but still, the guy with a reputation of missing a lot of bats missed a lot of bats. If Lalane’s not a clear-cut top 100 prospect at this time next year, I will be surprised.

Durbin tries new position

We’ve seen Caleb Durbin plenty this spring – he is 8-for-21 (.381) during Grapefruit League play – and he had a good Spring Breakout, going 2-for-3 with an RBI double (video). I had him as a Prospect to Know last month. Gary Phillips recently asked a bunch of coaches and front office folks which under-the-radar prospect has stood out most this spring, and several said Durbin, including Aaron Boone and bench coach Brad Ausmus.

More notable than the 2-for-3 performance was Durbin’s position: left field. Durbin has been an infielder all throughout college and pro ball. Spring Breakout was his first game at any level in left field (he only had to make one routine catch). Was that a “this is the only way we can get you into the lineup today” thing, or a “we’re trying to increase your versatility” thing? I think it’s the former, otherwise we would have seen him in left at other times this spring. Durbin has fans in the organization and he profiles as a utility type. Adding left field to the toolbelt would only help his case.

General thoughts

MLB announced an All-Spring Breakout Team on Monday. Jones, Selvidge, and T.J. Rumfield all made it (Rumfield hit a homer (video)). The Yankees were the only organization with three players on the All-Spring Breakout Team … The automated strike zone challenge system was used during Spring Breakout and we only saw it once Saturday (it was used to confirm a ball). I’m a fan though. It’s a relatively quick process (video) and I’m skeptical of a fully automated zone given how much walks (and to a lesser extent strikeouts) shot up in the minor leagues where it was used. The challenge system is a good intermediate step … The Yankees didn’t do the best job promoting Spring Breakout. Other teams posted their starting lineups on social media a day or two before the game. The Yankees revealed the lineup about three hours before first pitch. Feels like they could’ve done a better job making a big deal of this. Also, the Yankees never officially announced that Will Warren was replaced on the roster by Danny Watson, but he was (Warren pitched in Sunday’s Grapefruit League game rather than Spring Breakout) … Assuming Spring Breakout happens again next year, MLB and the teams need to do a better job with the broadcasts. Yankees-Blue Jays aired on YES (and was simulcast on MLB Network) and there was plenty of Yankees prospect talk, but nothing for Blue Jays fans tuning it. The easiest solution would be having a three-man booth with a play-by-play guy and a color commentator from each team. They’re doing this to promote the next generation of players, so make sure both teams get talked about intelligently … And finally, I think Spring Breakout would be excellent as a tournament. There are 15 teams in Arizona and 15 teams in Florida. Give the No. 1 seed a bye (use MLB.com’s farm system rankings to determine seeding), then do a single elimination tournament, and have the Arizona and Florida winners play the title game in Chase Field or Marlins Park (alternate years or whatever). You could do that in 6-7 days. It won’t happen because teams don’t want their young pitchers working hard in March, but man, that would be a blast. As it stands, Spring Breakout was a fun one-off in the middle of the dog days of spring.

3. Grapefruit League observations. Joe Torre has been in camp the last few days and he came out of the dugout to remove Carlos Rodón from Monday’s game (video). That was pretty damn cool. "I've got three pitches left (before I hit my pitch count). I was like, 'What the hell? It's a lefty!' I look up and I was like, 'Oh, it's Joe Torre. I can't really say much here,’” Rodón told Bryan Hoch. This is the first time Torre’s been in Yankees camp since his last season as manager in 2007. Here now are a few thoughts on the last few days. (I was going to make a joke about Torre going to the mound to put Scott Proctor in, but no. I’m better than that.)

Judge still MIA (LeMahieu’s hurt now too)

It has been nine days since Aaron Judge was lifted after two at-bats in what we were initially told was a planned short day. We later learned Judge is dealing with an abdominal issue that is enough of a concern that he was sent for an MRI. It came back clean, and the Yankees say Judge has been hitting in the cage, but he has not yet returned to game action. Supposedly that’ll happen Wednesday. Given this team’s track record with injury updates, I’m gonna need to see it to believe it.

“Good. Another good day today,” Aaron Boone said during Monday’s in-game interview with YES (video). “He hit velocity (against the pitching machine) yesterday. I know he’s working on the breaking ball machine today. Came through today good to go. Should be in there coming out of the off-day Wednesday. He’s good. Ready to go.”

Of course the Yankees should be cautious with Judge. They don’t want this supposedly minor abdominal injury turning into something bigger and more long-term. But Opening Day is next Thursday, and Judge has 16 plate appearances in Grapefruit League games. They could send him to minor league camp and let him lead off every inning and get 8-9 at-bats a day that way, but there are only so many days remaining on the calendar. Pretty soon it’ll be fair to wonder if Judge will be ready to hit MLB pitching on Opening Day.

“We’ve got our own little schedule going. We’re going to go through a normal routine in the weight room, kind of run around, move around a little bit. Get in the cage a little bit and kind of go from there,” Judge told Bryan Hoch last week. “... The main goal is to be game-ready for Opening Day, so we’re just going to work towards that.”

Because Judge being "mid-spring beat up" isn’t bad enough, DJ LeMahieu is hurt now too. He fouled a pitch into his right foot Saturday (video) and has a “pretty significant bone bruise,” Boone told Hoch. His availability for Opening Day is in question and that’s bad, bad news. The current third base depth chart:

1. DJ LeMahieu (hurt)
2. Oswald Peraza (hurt)
3. Two kids in a trench coat

I guess Oswaldo Cabrera’s next up? Kevin Smith? Jeter Downs? I mean, if Boone says LeMahieu is questionable for Opening Day, then we might not see him until June with the way the Yankees downplay injuries. They’ll have to go outside the organization for a bench type (Donovan Solano?). That seemed likely even with LeMahieu healthy. Now? I don’t think they have much of a choice.

(Utility man Josh Harrison opted out of his minor league contract with the Reds on Monday, according to Gordon Wittenmyer. Harrison was pretty terrible last year. I’m mentioning him only to point out we are now in opt out season We’ll see who shakes loose the next few days.)

We aren’t out of Spring Training yet and the Yankees are already down their ace, multiple relievers, their backup infielder, possibly their third baseman, and possibly their center fielder/captain. Not great when “hope guys stay healthy” is an important part of the plan! Bone bruises can take a while to heal. I would bet against LeMahieu being in the Opening Day lineup. The bad news just keeps coming, huh?

“We’re going to listen to the foot. I hope (he’s ready for Opening Day). It’s certainly reasonable to think so. But I’m not going to speculate too much on that. We’re going to look at it every couple days,” Boone told Greg Joyce. “... He’s doing significantly better than he was yesterday and the day before. So that’s all good. We’ll kind of reevaluate it here probably going into the night game (Wednesday) and see where we’re at.”

(The Yankees are going to shoehorn Anthony Volpe into the leadoff spot if LeMahieu starts the season on the injured list, aren’t they?)

Gil and Warren (and Beeter) make their cases

The No. 5 starter competition is entering the final stretch and it’s notable Luis Gil and Will Warren started this past weekend while Clayton Beeter came out of the bullpen. Gil and Warren got to go through their usual warm up routine and go through the big league hitter portion of the lineup multiple times. Beeter did not. Seems like the Yankees consider Gil and Warren the top No. 5 starter candidates. They’re the guys making these starts.

Gil was terrific again Saturday – 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K (video) against a representative Blue Jays lineup – and the changeup has definitely been a point of emphasis this spring. He threw 30% changeups Saturday …

… and he’s thrown 23% changeups this spring (all four of his appearances have been in Statcast parks), which is way more than usual. Gil’s a fastball/slider guy and he threw only 7% changeups during his MLB debut in 2021. It’s Spring Training, guys are working on stuff, and Gil’s working on his changeup.

“We made it a point to work on that pitch,” Gil told Gary Phillips after his start. “If you remember, going back to when I debuted, I was really a two-pitch pitcher. It was important for me to work on the third pitch. I wanted to really get it to a spot where I felt comfortable using it, and now we’re able to use it.”

More than that though, Gil is throwing strikes. He’s walked four of the 44 batters he faced (9.1%), including only two walks in his last three games. That said, Gil has a 50.5% zone rate with his fastball this spring. It was 50.7% in 2021 and MLB average was 55.0% on heaters in 2023, so there’s no obvious improvement there. Still, Gil’s fastball is so good that he doesn’t need to be precise. Just be around the zone.

It’s funny too, because control is usually the last thing to come back after Tommy John surgery. Gil has always run a high walk rate (career 13.7% in the minors) and I thought we might be in for some really high walk totals this spring and in Triple-A to begin the season. Instead, Gil’s been around the plate. There’s always a chance this is a small sample/spring mirage. Would be cool if it’s not.

“We had to do a lot of work to put myself in a good spot coming into camp, and I think I’ve been able to keep the same kind of concentration and focus,” Gil told Phillips. “That being said, if I’m given the opportunity to be the fifth starter, I’m going to welcome that opportunity, and I’m going to keep the focus and keep going out there and doing my job.”

As for Warren, he got whacked around by something close to the Red Sox’s “A” lineup Sunday. The defense did him no favors – non-roster infielders Kevin Smith and Caleb Durbin booted grounders, so only two of the six runs Warren allowed in the first inning were earned – but still, Warren put himself in some bad counts and gave up some hard contact, and threw one absolute hanger to Trevor Story:

Warren was much better after that first inning – he retired eight of the final 10 batters he faced and one of the two baserunners was an infield single – and he got his pitch count up to 68, which is probably the most important number. That’s good, because the other numbers aren’t great: 2.2 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 1 HR. Warren has built up his pitch count nicely despite maxing out at three innings this spring.

“I think that goes into the factor of proving that you belong there,” Warren told Joyce about his rough first inning. “When you get hit in the mouth, how do you bounce back? How do you respond to how bad the first inning was, in my opinion, to how the next couple look? At the end of the day, you gotta keep your team in the game. That’s what that second, third inning portrayed.”

Beeter replaced Warren and got up to 67 pitches, but wasn’t great overall: 4 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 K. He got to face a few Red Sox regulars before the minor leaguers came in. The Grapefruit League numbers say Gil should be the No. 5 starter with Beeter first in line to replace him, and Warren behind him. I don’t think that is the case though. I think the No. 5 race looks like this:

1. RHP Will Warren
2. RHP Clayton Beeter
3. RHP Luis Gil
4. RHP Luke Weaver
5. RHP Cody Poteet

I say this because Warren and Beeter are being stretched out like starters while Gil is not – Gil has thrown 41, 48, 49, and 56 pitches in his four games – and the Yankees are a “Spring Training performance does matter unless it supports our preexisting biases” team. The way they’re talking about Warren reminds of the way they talked about Volpe last spring.

“Certainly a struggle (in the first inning), but kind of showed us who he was. I thought he was pretty sharp the rest of the way. Unfettered. In fact it’s times like this you learn a little more, even more about a guy. I think he’s really good. I think he’s really good right now,” Boone told Joyce following Sunday’s game. “... I’m overstating it, but I sometimes feel like when I meet a young player that’s maybe not there yet, it’s like ‘that guy’s a big leaguer’ without even watching him. I kind of have that feeling about Will. Then now seeing how he goes about things, he’s got an edge. A competitive edge to him.”

Gil has shown enough that he belongs on the Opening Day roster – “He’s centered himself right in the conversation,” Boone told Phillips while also acknowledging Gil wasn’t really a consideration for an MLB roster spot entering Spring Training – and there’s room for him in the bullpen with Scott Effross and Tommy Kahnle (and Lou Trivino) out. There is one rotation spot and two bullpen spots up for grabs, remember. The Yankees have to replace more than Gerrit Cole.

Warren is lined up to make his final Grapefruit League start Friday against the Mets, but he might get pushed back a day and start one of Saturday’s split squad games instead. Perhaps if he gets hit around again while Beeter and/or Gil look strong, the Yankees will change their mind, but right now I’d say Warren is the favorite for the No. 5 spot, Sunday’s performance notwithstanding. I’m getting major “the Yankees have already made up their mind” vibes.

“I told him, I feel like that’ll be one of those that you always remember. Your first Red Sox game,” Boone told Joyce. “I think he’s going to be really good. I think he’s going to have a career in this game. That’ll be one of those he can share with people. ‘Yeah I went down and took my lumps down at JetBlue (Park) in spring.’ I liked how he responded from it. In the end, he got a lot of good work in and we build from here.”

(If Warren does get the No. 5 spot, I bet the Yankees carry four starters and nine relievers to begin the season. They’ll then send down the ninth reliever, and add Warren to the 40-man roster and call him up for the fifth game. Beeter and Gil could be on the Opening Day roster with Warren technically in Triple-A even if Warren wins the No. 5 spot. For 40-man roster pitchers, the 15 days for the 15-day rule begin on Opening Day no matter when the player was optioned in Spring Training. To call someone up after five games, there either needs to be an injury or he needs to not be on the 40-man, like Warren.)

Latest roster moves

The Yankees are down to 46 players in big league camp. LHP Anthony Misiewicz, RHP Cody Morris, OF Everson Pereira, and IF Jorbit Vivas were the latest players sent to minor league camp. Morris, my No. 28 prospect, came over in the Estevan Florial trade and had an awful spring: 6.2 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 5 BB, 7 K. At least he didn’t hurt. Getting hurt in Spring Training has been Morris’ thing the last few years.

Vivas hit two home runs early in camp but hasn’t been good overall (5-for-23 with 10 strikeouts), though I’m still a tiny bit surprised the Yankees sent him out now with LeMahieu hurt. Then again, Vivas was never really a candidate to make the roster, so what does it matter? This is the current Spring Training roster assuming Judge will be ready for Opening Day (asterisk means the player is out of options):

With Opening Day nine days away, the official RAB prediction is Jahmai Jones fills one position player TBD spot (the Yankees have talked him up recently), a player from outside the organization fills the other position player TBD spot, and Burdi, Gil, and Poteet fill the three pitching TBD spots. Four starters and nine relievers to begin the season, then the ninth reliever gets sent down prior to Game 5 so Warren can come up to make the start. Who gets sent down? Whoever throws the most pitches in Game 4, probably.

Also, I missed this last week: Boone told Hoch none of the big league starting pitchers will be on the Mexico City trip. Stroman and Cortes were originally scheduled to start those games, but then Cole got hurt, so the Yankees aren’t taking any chances. A bunch of poor minor leaguers are going to get blasted at altitude (7,200 feet!) those two days.

Up next

Opening Day is nine days away and the Yankees somehow have nine exhibition games and three off-days between now and then. Split squad games, man. Here's the upcoming schedule and pitching probables (here’s the Grapefruit League broadcast schedule):

• Tuesday: off-day
• Wednesday vs. Pirates: TBA (YES)
• Thursday at Braves: Nestor Cortes (YES app)

Stroman is throwing a simulated game later today and Schmidt lines up to start Wednesday. I only know Cortes is starting Thursday because he told Hoch that is the plan last week. Officially, Thursday is still TBA because the Yankees tend to announce their spring starters at the last minute. It is what it is.

This is the last full week of Spring Training games, so at some point in these next few days we should see the big league relievers pitch back-to-back days. Probably not all of them – Hamilton and Loáisiga are being prepped for multi-inning roles and multi-inning guys usually don’t pitch back-to-back days – but definitely Ferguson, Holmes, and González I would think. That’s a box they’ll check before the end of camp.

Miscellany

Rodón had his best start as a Yankee on Monday: 5.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K. It’s too bad his best start as a Yankee came in Spring Training, but hey, it’s progress. Also, his fastball averaged 94.5 mph and topped out at 96.4 mph, so he held his velocity from his last start despite not having extra rest. Fingers crossed that was a sign of things to come with Rodón. The Yankees need this guy badly … Did you know Soto is in a 1-for-16 funk and his spring OPS is down to 1.039? And people want the Yankees to give this guy $400M? Fire Cashman … Non-roster righty Dennis Santana is having an okay spring (8.2 IP, 12 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 10 K) and he picked up a cutter from Frankie Montas over the winter. “It’s my go-to pitch. 3-1, 3-2, I just trust it. It’s been amazing. I think it’s one of my best pitches right now,” Santana told Mark Sanchez recently. The Yankees have a few open bullpen spots, though Santana is out of options, and the Yankees might not want to put him on the 40-man roster just yet because it’ll limit their flexibility. Nice spring though … And finally, here’s a fun one: 2023 13th round pick Josh Tiedemann was on Saturday’s lineup card as a pitcher (he didn’t get into the game). Tiedemann is a two-way player – the Yankees announced him as one at the draft – and he went 1-for-9 in two rookie ball games as a DH after the draft. He did not pitch, which is typical for recent draftees, but apparently he's still a pitcher. Is Tiedemann a full-time pitcher now? Are they giving the two-way thing a try? We’ll find out once the Florida Complex League season begins.

4. Rapid fire thoughts. We can stop pretending the Yankees might sign Blake Snell now. He's heading to the Giants on a two-year, $62M contract with an opt out. Realistically, the contract terms could not have been more team-friendly. Like, that it's, you've won. Scott Boras put his tail between his legs and didn't even get Snell the third year he got Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman. I know the Yankees would've had to pay an additional $34.1M in luxury tax in 2024, but why should I care? The Yankees lost Gerrit Cole for 2-3 months and still said no to the reigning NL Cy Young winner on what is at worst a two-year contract, and I'm supposed to believe they're all-in on 2024? They're not, clearly. Snell, Corbin Burnes, Dylan Cease, Tyler Glasnow, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto all changed teams this offseason and the Yankees' big pitching addition was Marcus Stroman. Forgive me for being underwhelmed.

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