The New York Yankees are being very picky with who they choose to add to their 30 man active roster for the condensed 60 game season. They have already made surprising changes with some players, optioning Jordan Montgomery to an alternate training site.
The expectation is that Montgomery will be a part of the taxi squad, who the Yankees will eventually elevate to the active roster. In his absence, though, the Yankees made one interesting move to give a youngster an opportunity.
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On Tuesday afternoon, field manager Aaron Boone announced that Michael King would make the Opening Day roster. At 25 years old, King will feature on the active roster as they travel to Washington to face the Nationals on Thursday night.
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In 2019, King appeared in just one game. However, he is climbing the roster and has proven himself to a point where they feel comfortable supplementing Masahiro Tanaka.
Tanaka took a 112 mph comebacker to the head off the bat of Giancarlo Stanton several weeks ago. He’s projected to return at the end of this month. With that reality striking, the Yankees have elected do utilize their third game of the season against the Nationals as a “bullpen game.â€
Schmidt beat out both Deivi Garcia and Clarke Schmidt, who seemingly weren’t ready to play at the MLB level just yet. Garcia was thrashed against the Philadelphia Phillies, lasting only 1.2 innings on Monday evening.
Despite Schmidt being sent down to Scranton, Boone believes the young arm could impact the club at some point this season. He would be the first man up aside from Montgomery to supplement any further injuries.
With that being said, the Yankees have a solid starting rotation, especially when everyone is healthy. The bullpen will play a significant role in helping to limit fatigue. However, a hot and heavy Gerrit Cole will be unleashed in a shortened campaign. Expect to see him every few days and to get better with each passing game.
As for King, I don’t anticipate Boone putting him in an over-strenuous position. Iff you make the active roster, though, you should be prepared to play.