NJ Advance Media | Randy Miller: Spring training is officially here! As the Yankees begin their slate of exhibition games in preparation of the season, fans are always left to wonder which big names they can look forward to seeing in the lineup and which players they will miss out on. Aaron Judge is chief among these names, but don’t expect to see him in the spring opener today in Sarasota against the Orioles, as it is customary for the captain not to travel to spring away games. However, he’ll make his spring debut playing right against the Tigers tomorrow in Tampa and will DH against the Mets on Sunday. The captain is expected to appear in five of the first nine spring games as a tune-up before heading off to play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
Giancarlo Stanton will also take things slowly before appearing in games as he deals with maintenance of the chronic pain in both elbows, as will Oswaldo Cabrera as he nears 100-percent recovery from the broken ankle suffered last year. Cam Schlittler returned to throw a pain-free live BP after sitting out the first week of camp with minor back inflammation, while top pitching prospect Elmer Rodríguez starts the spring opener later today.
The Athletic | Chris Kirschner ($): As he enters his walk year, Jazz Chisholm Jr. has set himself some lofty goals for the 2026 season: AL MVP, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, and the second player to join the 50/50 club after Shohei Ohtani became the first to achieve the feat in 2024. For what it’s worth, Jazz did go 30/30 last year and has 35 homers and 44 steals across his last 162 games. He is also focused on improving his focus and concentration on defense at second base after committing 18 errors last season. Jazz also was sure to relay that he harbored zero negative feelings about his name surfacing in trade rumors over the winter, acknowledging that it’s just a part of baseball business.
Newsday | Erik Boland: Intriguing storylines crop up every spring and Boland provides six names we should watch over the next few weeks. Judge tops the list both in camp and at the WBC. Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones have opportunities to impress this spring, the upcoming season a pivotal period for the pair to convince the Yankees to keep them in their long term plans. Top prospect George Lombard Jr. earned another spring invite after impressing last spring, but expect him to start the year at Double-A. Finally, there’s the pair of exciting pitching prospects in Rodríguez and Carlos Lagrange, both of whom have an opportunity to impact the major league squad this season.
MLB Trade Rumors | Anthony Franco: As Anthony Volpe recovers from his offseason shoulder surgery, the Yankees have been getting Ryan McMahon reps at shortstop, a position where he has played just three big league innings, all in 2020. However, he is still being viewed as purely an emergency backup at the position, with Trade Deadline acquisition José Caballero expected to start there to open the season. Cabrera and Amed Rosario can also play short in a pinch.
New York Post | Greg Joyce: Taking grounders at a new position isn’t the only thing McMahon is working on this offseason. The third baseman isn’t ignorant of the fact that he disappointed at the plate upon making the move from Colorado, placing among the league’s worst in strikeout rate (32.3%), whiff rate (35.2%), and in-zone contact rate (77.8%). McMahon and the Yankees hitting coaches identified his stance as a potential culprit — his 42.7-inch-wide stance the fourth-widest stance in the league, which they felt was causing the whiff issues. His defense remained as excellent as ever after moving to the Bronx, if the Yankees could just coax out a little more offensive production he’d be a pretty valuable player.
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