A seemingly minor trade between the Yankees and Athletics including DSL pitcher Luis Bargos heading to Sacramento in exchange for DFA’d utilityman Max Schuemann might have greater consequence than initially expected.
While Oswaldo Cabrera is the presumed 13th man on the roster, Aaron Boone revealed that the Yankees would be slowplaying the versatile switch-hitter early on in Spring Training.
His traumatic season-ending ankle fracture is not something the Yankees want to push early on, but there’s some reason to wonder if he’ll be able to handle the shortstop position while Anthony Volpe is sidelined after labrum surgery.
Jose Caballero is the clear favorite to win the starting job in Volpe’s place, but if Cabrera cannot fill the role of a capable backup shortstop, suddenly Schuemann has something to play for in the Grapefruit League.
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Why the Yankees Could View Max Scheumann as Their 13th Man For Opening Day
A 78 wRC+ and 1.9 WAR in 672 plate appearances in the Major Leagues is far from inspiring production, but the Yankees could be aiming to get a solid depth piece outcome from Max Scheumann in 2026.
He’s an excellent defensive infielder who has strong range and a good arm, allowing him to make throws across the diamond with ease and impressive overall with the glove.
Scheumann accumulated +1 Fielding Run Value at shortstop, +5 Fielding Run Value at second base, and +3 Fielding Run Value at third base in a little over 1,500 innings across the three positions in his two MLB seasons.
The excellent speed he brings makes him a good pinch-running option as well as he’s 21 for 23 in stolen base attempts and graded out in the 73rd Percentile in Sprint Speed last season.
Oswaldo Cabrera might be a better offensive fit as a potential left-handed hitter who can face a tough RHP and give Jose Caballero the day off at shortstop, but the question of whether he can handle the position is a fair one.
Last season was a struggle for Cabrera at times defensively as he made multiple uncharacteristic throwing errors while manning the hot corner, resulting in 0 Fielding Run Value in 266 innings at the position.
His career numbers at third base are strong, but shortstop he has accumulated -1 Fielding Run Value in 103 innings there and doesn’t have the same speed that Max Scheumann does.
The Yankees may also not feel comfortable testing Cabrera’s range in the outfield, which is of note given that they won’t have a fourth outfielder if Jasson Dominguez does indeed get sent down to Triple-A.
Scheumann has limited outfield experience but does have the speed and defensive aptitude to handle the position if needed, especially if the Yankees just occassionaly use him in centerfield or a corner spot.
It seems like a rather insignificant storyline to follow, but with Oswaldo Cabrera having Minor League options, his job on this team is not the sure thing that it might seem to be.
Max Scheumann is someone who the Yankees traded for instead of letting him fall to them in the waiver wire, the intention was not to acquire him without seeing what he could do in big-league camp.
The Athletics seemed to push him more towards a high-contact low-power profile which hurt his overall OPS last season, if the Yankees get him back to hitting for some SLG% there could be an 85-95 OPS+ outcome here.
With the speed and defensive versatility that Scheumann provides from the right-handed side, that might be enough to keep him on the roster from Opening Day right up until the very end of the season.
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