The Yankees are heading into the offseason with more than a few roster questions, and not all of them are about adding talent. After back-to-back ALDS exits, New York is staring at a 2027 picture that feels crowded in some places and uncertain in others.
That tension comes from the same place the Yankees have been living for a while now: one era isn’t fully over, and the next one is already pushing through the door. Aaron Judge’s run is already halfway done, while homegrown names like Ben Rice, Cam Schlittler, and George Lombard Jr. have helped keep the championship window from slamming shut. But with more young players and outside additions on the way, a few familiar faces could get squeezed out.
Giancarlo Stanton is one of the biggest names in that group. The Yankees expected him to miss time in 2026 because of his injury history. They did not expect him to miss nearly the whole season.
Stanton strained both calves and managed only 24 regular-season games. He did battle back from the second strain just enough to make the postseason roster, but he was limited to two pinch-hitting appearances because Ben Rice handled the designated hitter role.
His contract situation adds another layer. 2027 is the last guaranteed year of Stanton’s deal, and he has a $15 million club option that can be bought out for $10 million. Even so, his hold on the everyday DH job is shaky.
Rice has questions at first base, Luis Garcia Jr. is in the mix as a first baseman, and Judge may need more DH days after his own injury-plagued season. That could leave Stanton needing more rest just to stay on the field.
The Yankees did use Stanton more as a bench bat in 2025, and he produced in that role. That may end up being the best path for a soon-to-be 37-year-old who needs his body managed carefully. But if another major injury hits, the Yankees could decide they’ve had enough and eat the rest of the contract.
Jasson Dominguez is in a very different spot, but the uncertainty around him is just as real. He was once viewed as the Yankees’ future center fielder, yet his major league career still hasn’t come together.
Injuries, uneven switch-hitting, and shaky defense have all been part of the story. His 2026 season was especially rough: he hit .225/.267/.368, posted -0.2 fWAR, and missed time with a shoulder injury. He actually spent more games in Triple-A (59) than in the majors (57).
Now the picture is even murkier. Spencer Jones emerged down the stretch, and Heliot Ramos arrived at the trade deadline, both of which complicate Dominguez’s path.
He’s still only 23 and under club control through 2031, so the Yankees have plenty of time to decide whether to keep investing in him. But if no outfielder is added this winter, he could be forced to battle Jones for the center field job.
If Jones wins, Dominguez’s time in the Bronx could be running out.
Anthony Volpe might be the hardest case to read of all. For a while, it looked as if George Lombard Jr.’s arrival would close the book on Volpe’s rough stretch in New York. Instead, the 25-year-old earned another chance after a strong Triple-A stint.
That reset gave him some new tools. Volpe learned second base and a little third base, which added to his versatility, and his bat heated up enough to get him back in the conversation.
The results in the majors were still uneven, though. He finished September with a .695 OPS, even with a huge game against the Colorado Rockies on September 10.
In the postseason, he went 3-for-7 and was one fan interference call away from possibly extending New York’s season.
Defensively, the Yankees can still trust him. The work at second base, and to a lesser extent third, only strengthened his reputation as a plus defender.
Offensively, though, he still hasn’t shown the kind of consistency a starting infielder needs. That makes it hard to hand him a job without competition.
If Volpe finally turns into the hitter the Yankees once projected, the path opens back up. Until then, a bench role may be the safer landing spot.
Clarke Schmidt may be the toughest name to place on this list, mostly because injuries have already done so much damage to his timeline. He only recently returned from Tommy John surgery, then came back in September and quickly landed on the injured list again with a bicep issue. He never made it into the postseason.
Even healthy, Schmidt looks like the odd man out in a rotation that now includes Cam Schlittler as the ace, plus Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, and Carlos Rodon. Will Warren also remains in the mix as a fifth starter, and the Yankees believe there’s more talent there to unlock despite his inconsistency.
Schmidt’s contract situation doesn’t help him. Schlittler and Warren are still pre-arbitration eligible, while Cole, Fried, and Rodon are all locked into long-term deals. Schmidt, meanwhile, will be a free agent after the 2027 season.
Still, there is one route that could keep him valuable. He has already shown he can work out of the bullpen, including a 2.74 ERA in 26 relief appearances in 2022. If he’s healthy, he could give the Yankees a useful long-relief option and a starter they can turn to again if someone else goes down.
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