BSports - Latest Sports News & Updates

Here's what the Yankees' 2026 Opening Day roster and lineup could look like before offseason adds.

A week after the Yankees’ season ended, there was a postmortem Thursday at Yankee Stadium that was a lot of manager Aaron Boone and general manager Brian Cashman talking about what went wrong and very little looking ahead to 2026.

The injury updates included some relieving news: Right fielder Aaron Judge doesn’t need elbow surgery to repair his right flexor strain and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton doesn’t need surgeries to end almost two seasons of tennis elbow on both arms.

The Yankees announcing shortstop Anthony Volpe will start next season on the IL after underdoing shoulder labrum surgery last week was expected, but left-hander Carlos Rodon’s surgery on Wednesday to remove loose bodies and a bone spur from his pitching elbow was a surprise. As of now, the Yankees are hopeful that both will be back on the active roster by the middle of April or early May.

As for the Yankees’ offseason agenda, it hasn’t been discussed yet.

Who will they target in free agency? Will they try to bring back Cody Bellinger or Trent Grisham to play center?

Too early to know.

Will they make a run at Kyle Tucker, a corner outfielder who figures to be the most expensive free agent position player?

The guess is no, but too soon to know.

The Yankees haven’t even scheduled their annual end-of-the-season organizational meetings in Tampa. Also, managing partner Hal Steinbrenner hasn’t given even a ballpark 2026 budget to Cashman.

Last year’s payroll was around $305 million, according to Sprotac.com. If it stays the same next season, the Yankees can add around $65 million in 2026 salaries, according to NJ Advance Media calculations.

Will they spend it all?

Will Steinbrenner order Cashman to keep the payroll below next season’s $244 million luxury tax threshold to reset the Yankees’ penalty clock for the first time since 2022?

Will the 2026 payroll be affected by the possibility of a long work stoppage starting on Dec. 1, 2026 when the CBA expires and owners may push harder than ever for a salary cap?

Again ... nothing’s been decided.

After the Yankees strategize during their organizational meetings, Cashman will hold preliminary meetings with agents and fellow GMs at next month’s General Manager Meetings in Las Vegas to explore free agent signings and winter trades.

What we know now is the Yankees’ 2026 roster is very incomplete because they’ll probably have 10 players file for free agency:

Outfielders Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Austin Slater, infielder/outfielder Amed Rosario, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, and relievers Paul Blackburn, Luke Weaver, Devin Williams, Ryan Yarbrough and Jonathan Loaisiga ($5 million club option won’t be vested).

The Yankees almost certainly will opt to keep reliever Tim Hill, who has a $3 million club option for 2026.

To show how much work Cashman has this winter, here’s a look at what the Yankees’ 2026 Opening Day lineup and 26-man roster could look like if they filled it only with returning players and minor leaguers with team control beyond this season:

LINEUP

1. Jose Caballero, SS

2. Aaron Judge, RF

3. Ben Rice, 1B

4. Giancarlo Stanton, DH

5. Jazz Chisholm, 2B

6. Spencer Jones, CF

7. Jasson Dominguez, LF

8. Ryan McMahon, 3B

9. Austin Wells, C

Caballero played a lot of shortstop in September when Volpe was out of the lineup because of his shoulder and poor play, so the super-utility man who has led the AL in steals two years in a row probably will be the starter early on next season.

With Bellinger and Grisham on the free-agent market, the Yankees want Dominguez playing left field full-time next season after being in a rotation for most of his rookie year before being downgraded to bench player for September and the playoffs.

Who’s in center?

Until the Yankees spend or trade for one, Jones is first on their depth chart with no big-league experience but 35 homers in 2025 playing Double-A and Triple-A.

According to Cashman, Jones “put himself in the conversation” to fill the opening, but it “depends on how our winter plays out.”

The guess here is that the Yankees’ top offseason priority will be trying to re-sign Bellinger. We’re hearing, however, that they’re not confident that they’ll be successful because the years and money could soar far above their comfort zone with Scott Boras representing the former MVP and several other big-market clubs likely to be all in on a signing.

The Yankees’ other starters likely will be unchanged, including McMahon at third base.

His bat was a disappointment following a summer trade between the Yankees and Rockies – the left-handed hitter’s 33.5 percent strikeout rate was the highest in the majors - but he’s a Gold Glove finalist who is owed $16 million in 2026 and 2027.

Once Volpe returns, Caballero could get a lot of starts at third base against left-handed pitching or Rosario could be re-signed for that role.

BENCH (4)

Oswaldo Cabrera, INF/OF; J.C. Escarra, C; Braden Shewmake, INF; Jorbit Vivas, INF.

The Yankees have to completely redo their bench this winter.

They need a fourth outfielder in addition to finding a starter for center. Re-signing Slater or Rosario would take care of that. Re-signing Bellinger to play center and keeping Jones as a bench player is not an option because if he’s not playing regularly, he’s better off returning to Triple-A.

Ideally, the Yankees sign or trade for a right-handed-hitting catcher for the bench, too, because Alex Rodriguez is right: It’s ridiculous only having left-handed-hitting receivers.

For now, it’s still all lefties with Wells the No. 1, Rice in the mix while playing regularly at first base and Escarra possibly on the club, too. Everyone loves Escarra’s story and he has some skills, but the Yankees are way too left-handed in general and at catcher in particular.

Volpe’s injury could be a lifeline for Cabrera to make the club in his return from last May’s season-ending fractured ankle. His versatility as a switch-hitter who plays six positions could keep him in the Yankees’ plans long-term as a second super-utility player (along with Caballero) on a four-man bench.

Vivas got his feet wet with the Yankees last year, but he’s not ideal for a bench spot because he bats left-handed.

Shewmake is included on this first-look bench because he’s the only other position player on the 40-man roster, but avoiding a winter DFA is no sure thing. He does have a little big-league experience and plays three positions — second, short and third — but he’s also a left-handed hitter.

ROTATION (5)

Max Fried, RHP; Luis Gil, RHP; Cam Schlittler, RHP; Will Warren, RHP; Brendan Beck, RHP.

If the Yankees can avoid more starting pitchers getting hurt before Opening Day, the rotation will be four deep heading into the season even with Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt and Rodon on the injured list. That’s better than a lot of clubs when everyone is healthy.

Best case, they need a fifth starter for maybe only three or four weeks, until Rodon potentially returns in mid-to-late April. By May, Cole’s rehabbing from Tommy John surgery could be over.

The Yankees probably will look for a couple non-roster veterans to compete for a fifth starter spot in spring training, Carlos Carrasco types.

Beck could be in the mix, too. He’s on the 40, he’s not a kid at 27 and he’s ranked their 11th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline. Beck also made 15 Triple-A starts last season, but his Double-A Somerset numbers (5-2, 1.99 ERA, 11 games) were much better than his Scranton/Wilkes-Barre stats (8-3, 4.44 ERA).

RELIEVERS (8)

David Bednar, RHP; Jake Bird, RHP; Fernando Cruz, RHP; Yerry De Los Santos, RHP; Camilo Doval, RHP; Brent Headrick, LHP; Tim Hill, LHP; Mark Leiter Jr., RHP.

With Weaver and Williams on the free agent market, the Yankees probably will be looking for at least one high-leverage reliever this winter. It wouldn’t be surprising if they try to hit a home run on Padres closer Robert Suarez, who is expected to opt out of the final two years of his contract after leading the NL with 40 saves in 2025.

If the Yankees sign Suarez, Bednar could slide into a setup role that frequently includes four-out appearances. Unlike Williams, he embraces longer outings.

Williams won’t be back, but the Yankees probably will look into re-signing Weaver, who was a steal the last two seasons making $2.25 million in 2024 (counting performance bonuses) and $2.75 million in 2025.

The others on our early roster projection probably will be part of the Yankees’ bullpen next season.

Also likely joining the mix at some point is Warren, who could thrive in a Michael King or Weaver multi-inning role once the Yankees’ rotation gets healthier.

Actually, it wouldn’t be a shocking to see the Yankees turn Gil into an setup reliever at some point. Multiple scouts have told NJ Advance Media that the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year could be even better working one inning at a time.