The Yankees are heading into a winter where every roster spot will matter, and that puts a few arbitration-eligible players squarely on the bubble. New York has bullpen issues, question marks at third base and catcher, and enough upcoming roster pressure that some familiar names could be squeezed out before they ever get paid.
That pressure is about more than just performance. The Yankees also need room on the 26-man roster for a club chasing a championship, and they’ll have to create space on the 40-man as well to protect the next wave of Rule 5 Draft-eligible prospects. If cutting loose a few fringe pieces helps them save money and clear that space, the front office is going to have to weigh it seriously.
Fernando Cruz looks like one of those tough calls. He has been useful to the Yankees, even if he’s been asked to do more than fits his best role at times.
But the injury picture changes everything. Cruz is 36, and if he needs Tommy John surgery, the timeline gets ugly fast.
He would miss all of next year and likely part of 2028, and a return path for a 38-year-old reliever is a steep climb. The Yankees could always designate him for assignment and then try to keep him in the organization on a minor league deal while he rehabs.
Clarke Schmidt is in a different spot, but the concern is just as real. His 2023 season was a career-high workload, with 159 innings and a 4.64 ERA, and he has not come close to matching that kind of durability before or after.
He has had encouraging stretches in 2024 and 2025, but the health issues keep piling up. He was shut down briefly in early August because of forearm cramps while coming back from Tommy John surgery, and now he’s dealing with bicep soreness.
For a pitcher whose availability has always been part of the conversation, that’s a problem.
Luis Gil also sits in this uneasy middle ground. His 1.50 ERA as a reliever this season is a nice headline, and his strikeouts have come back.
But the walk issues are still there, and the sample is only six innings. The 4.95 xFIP suggests regression, and the Yankees can’t make too much of the ERA alone.
Even with his 2024 AL Rookie of the Year season in the rearview, he is not locked into a postseason roster spot. That says plenty, especially for a team that already lacks bullpen depth.
If Gil is not clearly one of the best 13 pitchers right now, it becomes even harder to see the fit once the Yankees add arms this winter. He also comes with durability concerns, which only complicates the picture further.
In Other News...
George Lombard Jr Just Gave Yankees Fans A New October Name
George Lombard Jr. gave the Yankees exactly the kind of jolt October can deliver, and he did it in a place where history tends to linger. In Game 1 of the American League wild-card series against the Red Sox, the rookie shortstop became the youngest player in Yankees history to collect a postseason hit, then kept swinging with the kind of confidence that stood out in a lopsided win.
Lombard finished 3 for 4 with two runs scored as New York rolled to a nine-run victory, a performance that instantly adds another name for fans to watch as the pressure rises. The Yankees now have a chance to close out the series in Game 2, and Lombards emergence only gives the club more reason to feel good about where this October story is headed. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Capitalized On A Red Sox Decision Fans Will Debate
Bostons decision point in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series came with the kind of postseason tension that gets second-guessed almost immediately. Red Sox manager Chad Tracy went to the bullpen in the fifth inning with Payton Tolle still in a one-run game, even though the starter had worked 4.2 innings and allowed just five hits and one earned run. In October, every move gets magnified, especially when a young starter has kept his team close and the margin is still narrow.
The Yankees made sure the debate did not stay theoretical for long. After Tolle gave way to left-hander Erik Miller, Ben Rice jumped on the matchup and delivered a solo home run, the kind of swing that turns a managerial call into a talking point all over again. The larger question hanging over the night is whether Boston moved on Tolle too quickly for the setting, or whether the bullpen decision simply reflected the pressure of protecting a game that was already slipping into the late innings. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox May Have Created A Huge Roman Anthony Problem For The Bronx
Roman Anthonys return for the Boston Red Soxs final regular-season game looked like a significant step toward getting one of their most talented young hitters back on the field, but it did not come without concern. Anthony had already missed much of the season because of a right hand injury, and even in a game that was supposed to help set the tone for October, the hand became an issue again.
Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said the hand was uncomfortable and flared up on a check swing, which is the kind of development no team wants to hear this time of year. For the Yankees, the bigger question is not just whether Anthony can play, but whether Boston can count on him being anywhere close to fully functional if these clubs end up seeing each other in the postseason. [Read more 🡒]