New York Yankees: 2019 Opening Day Roster

Now that Spring Training has ended for the Yankees, the Opening Day roster seems to be set. This is not the Opening Day roster most fans envisioned, due to injuries and the depth throughout which has been acquired and raved about will be tested very early. This article will take a look at the Opening Day roster for the New York Yankees and the strengths and weaknesses of the team as well. Before we look at that we should take a look at those players who will not be making the Opening Day roster due to stints on the Injured List.

RP Dellin Betances (Shoulder Impingement)

SS Didi Gregorius (Tommy John surgery)

OF Aaron Hicks (Lower Back Discomfort)

SP Jordan Montgomery (Tommy John surgery)

SP Luis Severino (Rotator Cuff Inflammation)

OF Jacoby Ellsbury (Plantar Fasciitis)

With those injuries come different timetables for their return. We know that guys like Gregorius and Montgomery, who are coming off Tommy John surgery will likely not be back until later in the season, with Gregorius targeting a June return. On the other hand, Luis Severino seems to have mid May as his projected return date, with Hicks a few weeks earlier likely in early or mid April. I won’t even try to predict when Ellsbury will return because who knows at this point.

Here is my projected Opening Day lineup with the bench options that will face the Baltimore Orioles. Also listed is the Bullpen and the starting rotation to round off the 25 man roster.

Starting Lineup

1. Brett Gardner CF (L)
2. Aaron Judge RF (R)
3. Giancarlo Stanton LF (R)
4. Luke Voit DH (R)
5. Miguel Andujar 3B (R)
6. Gary Sanchez C (R)
7. Greg Bird 1B (L)
8. Troy Tulowitski SS (R)
9. Gleyber Torres 2B (R)

Bench

C Austin Romine (R), INF DJ LeMahieu (R), OF Mike Tauchman (L)

Rotation

1. Masahiro Tanaka (RHP)
2. James Paxton (LHP)
3. J.A. Happ (LHP)
4. Domingo German (RHP)
5. CC Sabathia (LHP)

Note: Sabathia is likely to be on the roster to serve his 5 game suspension and then possibly be placed on the Injured List to heal his knee and recover more from his offseason heart surgery. After this, it is likely that Jonathan Loaisiga will replace him in the rotation or the Yankees will use an Opener in that spot.*

Bullpen

Closer: Aroldis Chapman (LHP)

Set Up: Adam Ottavino (RHP)

Set Up: Zack Britton (LHP)

Set Up: Chad Green (RHP)

Middle Relief: Jonathan Holder (RHP)

Middle Relief: Tommy Kahnle (RHP)

Middle Relief: Stephen Tarpley (LHP)

Long Relief: Luis Cessa (RHP)

Team Strengths

• Once again the Yankee lineup is loaded up and down with power and has the potential to break their own single season home run record. With this power we can expect plenty of runs and a player in each spot of the lineup that can be trusted.
• The Yankees bullpen is very deep with relievers who all have high upside and can be trusted in key situations. When they need to get a big out, there are multiple guys that manager Aaron Boone can feel comfortable turning to. The bullpen can help shorten the game and keep the Yankees in any close game.
• In all facets of this team, the Yankees are loaded with lots of depth. Should any player go down with an injury they have guys on their bench, minors (Tyler Wade, Clint Frazier, Jonathan Loaisiga, Gio Gonzalez), or further down in the bullpen that can be relied on. As seen, this depth will be tested very early this season.

Team Weaknesses

• The Yankees lineup is prone to strikeouts. With all the power that the Yankees have in their lineup comes a bit of strikeout tendencies. Strikeouts are often a rally killer, which was seen in the postseason last season. Can they cut down on those strikeouts from last season and get some of those clutch hits?
• As seen the injury bug has hurt the Yankees early in Spring Training. With these injuries, the question has to be asked about whether or not they can return at the expected timetable and kick the rust away to contribute immediately upon return.

Follow Callen Elslager on Twitter | @celslagerFL