Yankees Finalize Opening Day Roster

The infield will be comprised of Ben Rice at first base, Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second, Jose Caballero at shortstop and Ryan McMahon at third. Caballero is getting the starting nod while Anthony Volpe recovers from surgery to repair a torn labrum. While Rice will generally be the starting first baseman, veteran Paul Goldschmidt could get starts if needed.

Austin Wells will once again be the Yankees' starting catcher. He went through a bit of a slump for a month last season, but managed to bounce back and maintain production through spring.

Bench

Goldschmidt will sit on the bench and could get starts against left handers or if Rice is moved to a different position to account for injuries.

Joining him is new addition Randal Girchuk, who formerly had a repuation for being a "Yankees Killer." He'll be on the bench for outfield depth over Jasson Dominguez, who manager Aaron Boone thinks needs to be playing every day to maintain his excellent Spring Training production and will do so in the Triple-A. In the event of an injury, Dominguez would likely get pulled up from the minors and start over Girchuk.

Finally, J.C. Escarra is providing backup catcher depth behind Wells. While Rice played a good few games at catcher last season, the Yankees will want to keep him at first base however they can.

Starting Pitchers

The top two Yankees starters, Max Fried and Cam Schlittler, were quite obvious from the beginning of Spring. They'll get the first two starts of the year in San Francisco and will be backed up by Will Warren and Ryan Weathers. Weathers, who the Yankees traded for during the offseason, had a tough Spring Training, but is getting the fourth rotation spot over former Rookie of the Year Luis Gil.

Because the Yankees have extra rest in their schedule, they don't need a fifth starter until April 11. This allows the team to send Gil back to the minors to keep working on his arm, which hasn't looked the same since he returned from a high grade lat strain last season.

Relief Pitchers

Gil's absence allows the Yankees to roster additional relievers to help eat innings in the first few weeks of the year. Headlining the bullpen is, of course, closer David Bednar, gearing up for his first full season with the team after a standout performance with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

Other familiar faces in the bullpen include Camilo Doval, who is listed just behind Bednar on the depth chart and hopes to have a resurgence, Fernando Cruz, Tim Hill, Paul Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough.

The final relievers getting the nod include Cade Winquest, the Yankees' first Rule 5 Draft pick since 2011, Jake Bird, a 2025 trade addition who struggled last year but improved after spending time in the minors and Spring Training and Brent Headrick.

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