The New York Yankees are hoping to have an injury-free regular season. However, we all know that will not happen. The best we can hope for is a season that does not come close to last year’s unprecedented number of injuries that saw 38 entries to the IL.
With inevitable injuries bound to show their ugly head during the season, once it begins, the New York Yankees will be dependant on the ‘next man up” mentality among bench players and some players that will be used from the minor leagues. With the minor league season, canceled, key players will stay game-ready at the George M. Steinbrenner Field complex in Tampa, Florida.
The Yankees will be compiled at some point in the season to use Mike Ford, Tyler Wade, Mike Tauchman, Clint Frazier, and even Zack Granite. There is a glut of players available to play left field. Giancarlo Stanton and Miguel Andujar seem likey to alternate between the outfield and the DH. Should either of those get injured, Frazier, Wade, and Tauchman will come into play.
The right field is at present, is a different situation. Although right fielder Aaron Judge is well on the mend from his rib fracture, manager Aaron Judge still has not been able to say he will be ready to start the season in right field. The logical choice to fill in for him until he can play is Clint Frazier even though his performance in right is not stellar, hopefully, his bat will make up for that.
Centerfield is another part of the field that is lacking backup. Although Aaron Hicks may be available to start the season, that is not a surety. It is more likely that Brett Gardner will be out there on opening day. Another situation is Hick’s propensity to become injured. Although Gardner is one of the more durable members of the team, he probably can’t play there every day. New York Yankee options are offseason acquisition Zack Granite and Estevan Florial. Florial has had his problems at the plate but is a satisfactory outfielder.
New York Yankees MVP DJ LeMahieu will mann second base primarily, and Gleyber Torres will mann short with no backup at the position. Tyler Wade will be first in line to fill in if Torres is injured or needs a day off.
Luke Voit will not play at first base every game, even in a shortened season. Mike Ford proved his worth last year at first and showed he could have some power at the plate as well. Although the Yankees don’t have all the outfield positions nailed down as of yet, they have plenty of talent to move around. One of the most critical non-lineup players will be the multi-talented Tyler Wade, the super-utility player that can play at second and short, and throughout the outfield.
The wild cards this year that the New York Yankees fans may get to see are sensation centerfielder Jasson Dominguez, centerfielder Brandon Lockridge, or right fielder Rossel Herrera. If Dominguez gets a chance for a major league debut, he will be one of the youngest ever to grace Yankee Stadium.