Andres Chavez
Earlier on Saturday, the New York Yankees made a painful yet expected decision. They optioned utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera to Triple-A Scranton, which means he is not making the Opening Day roster after finally recovering from that gruesome foot fracture he suffered last year. They also optioned shortstop Max Schuemann.
There are more moves to announce in addition to those two, though. They reassigned infielder/outfielder Seth Brown and shortstop Paul DeJong to minor league camp.
These moves have virtually officialized the Yankees’ bench heading into the 2026 campaign: JC Escarra will be the reserve catcher, Paul Goldschmidt will back up Ben Rice at first base and also play against some lefties, Amed Rosario will be another top option to deploy vs. southpaws and play all over the field but mostly at third base, and Randal Grichuk will fill a similar lefty-masher role but in the outfield.
Solid Depth Options Can Help Yankees Down The Road
Cabrera will start his season in Triple-A and get himself into game shape. If he hits his stride there and the Yankees have a need, he could be one of the first utility-type players to be called up if need be.
As for DeJong, he has no minor league options remaining and seems like a strong bet to find an MLB role elsewhere. Still, it’s far from a given, and if he wants to stick around, the Yankees will welcome him in Scranton. He didn’t have a bad spring as his .182 batting average suggests, as he sported a .732 OPS, hit two doubles, and two home runs.
Schuemann, acquired in a February trade with the Athletics, is a glove-first shortstop who put up a solid .310/.474/.414 line in the Grapefruit League. He should be a good emergency option should anything happen to one of the Yankees’ infielders. Despite his excellent spring, he fell victim to the numbers game.
Brown, signed to a minor league contract with a camp invite in January, struggled to get anything going at the plate, hitting .156 with a .479 OPS and a horrible 25 wRC+ in limited action. It’s unclear if he will stick around as organizational depth, but there is a chance he makes an impact for the Yankees eventually as a left-handed pull hitter taking advantage of the short porch with his fly ball-oriented profile.
Getting Ready For The Games That Count
Little by little, the Yankees are taking steps to finalize their roster for Opening Day. The bench is set, and the bullpen is pretty much decided, too, with the exception of a spot or two.
Max Fried will be the Opening Day starter, and Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole are both expected back in April. Clarke Schmidt will be an option for the second half, and Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodriguez are pretty much ready to help now, too.
The Yankees are in good shape for the start of the season. They have depth and quality, and more importantly, they have remained relatively healthy in spring training.
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