Yankees are reportedly still open to adding a right-handed bench bat

Joel Sherman of The New York Post reported in his latest column that the Yankees are still open-minded to the idea of adding a bench bat, with the outfield being the likeliest destination for an addition.

One of the options that the Yankees showed interest in during the offseason was Randal Grichuk, who remains unsigned and as Opening Day draws nearer, could be a legitimate option for the team.

Furthermore, there are other players available that could shake free as Spring Training rolls on, as different teams choose to go a different direction with a depth signing who can opt-out and join a different roster.

Brian Cashman is not new to making late Spring additions, adding Jon Berti right before Opening Day in 2025 and signing Ryan Yarbrough to a one-year deal on March 24th last year.

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Why the Yankees Could Still Have Room For Another Bench Bat

The Yankees remain involved in the bench bat market and there are some interesting options out there who could snag a job before Opening Day remains.

Grichuk, who was mentioned previously, had a 118 wRC+ and .819 OPS in his career against lefties, but his limited defensive abilities could make him a poor fit for the roster.

New York had interest in retaining Austin Slater, who instead chose to sign a MiLB deal with the Tigers where he might feel like more at-bats are up for grabs in the lineup.

Whether the Yankees are able to pull a bench bat down or not remains to be seen, but the catching position is another area where they will look even if there aren’t many options out there.

It would complicate the role of J.C. Escarra, the current backup catcher, but the Yankees do have MiLB options they could use if they don’t have room for him on the roster.

Given the lack of catching depth around the league and the high injury frequency of catchers, it wouldn’t be the worst thing for the organization if he ends up in Triple-A.

There’s going to be interesting discourse regarding the Yankees’ bench over the next few weeks given just how uncertain that final bench spot is, especially after Aaron Boone put a ‘TBD’ next to Oswaldo Cabrera’s status for Opening Day.