The Yankees opened Grapefruit League play on a positive note, defeating the Tampa Bay Bays, 4-0, on Friday afternoon at Steinbrenner Field.
Here are the takeaways…
— Less than a week after insisting that he won’t pitch out of the bullpen this season, Marcus Stroman fittingly received the opening start. The veteran right-hander worked one inning, in which he allowed two hits and struck out one (13 pitches). Stroman’s role is currently undefined, but if the team enters Opening Day with a fully-healthy rotation, he’s most likely the odd man out.
— The newest additions to the lineup made strong first impressions at the plate. Cody Bellinger reached base in his first at-bat with a soft single through the Rays’ middle-infield shift, and Paul Goldschmidt crushed a changeup that dented the left-center field wall for an RBI double. The sluggers combined for four at-bats with two strikeouts.
— Jasson Dominguez was the leadoff hitter. The top prospect worked a six-pitch walk in his first plate appearance, and eventually scored on Goldschmidt’s first-inning double. He popped out to first base in foul territory in his second plate appearance, but drove in a run on a ground out in his third trip to the plate. Dominguez is on the short list of candidates who could appear atop the lineup this season, and he’ll be given every opportunity to win the starting job in left field.
— Clarke Schmidt, who’s been dealing with a “cranky back,” threw off a mound on Friday and told the YES Network mid-game that he “felt great” with sharp command. If his body responds positively to the bullpen work, he expects to pitch live batting practice in the coming days. Schmidt believes the deep postseason run and shortened offseason contributed to the minor setback.
— Anthony Volpe and Jazz Chisholm Jr. also made their spring debuts against the Rays. They went hitless with a combined two strikeouts in six plate appearances, but Chisholm did draw a walk. Oswald Peraza, who’s among the infielders fighting for a big league roster spot, reached base twice and scored once.
— In the fifth inning, right-handed reliever JT Brubaker was drilled by a comebacker in his lower back and exited the game. While he initially went down to the ground in some pain, he got up and walked off the field under his own power with a trainer. Still a rude start to the season for Brubaker, who was limited to eight rehab appearances in 2024 due to Tommy John surgery and then an oblique injury.
— One of the Yankees’ top pitching prospects suffered a major blow, as Chase Hampton underwent Tommy John surgery on Friday morning. The team had high hopes for the 23-year-old, who was diagnosed with a right flexor strain a few days ago. Yankees manager Aaron Boone also described it as “something going on” with Hampton’s UCL.
— Will Warren entered first in relief, and immediately showcased a sharp changeup to produce a pair of strikeouts. He logged 36 pitches across two innings with three punch-outs, one hit, and one walk. The 25-year-old right-hander entered the 2024 season as the team’s No. 5 prospect, and appeared in six big league games last summer.
Highlights
Upcoming schedule
The Yankees will travel west to Dunedin on Saturday for a matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays (1:07 p.m first pitch). Carlos Rodon is expected to start.
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