TAMPA — This is where things get weird for the Yankees.
With Jay Bruce taking over for Luke Voit, and Mike Tauchman’s spot safe on the bench, that leaves (at least) one more decision for general manager Brian Cashman and his front office to make.
What are they going to do with the final bench spot?
More specifically, what are they going to do with Tyler Wade?
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Manager Aaron Boone hinted that the Yankees could send Wade to the alternate site — he’s in his final option year. Boone was asked if the release of Derek Dietrich meant that the Yankees’ reserve unit had been decided.
“We’ll see,” Boone told reporters after a 4-1 win over the Blue Jays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. “I wouldn’t say necessarily but there could be more things in play still. You never know.”
That means the Yankees likely are exploring trades and free agency, especially as teams trim rosters throughout the league. The Yankees surely wouldn’t hate adding an extra bullpen arm, though they seem to have dodged a bullet with lefty Justin Wilson’s shoulder soreness.
Wade hasn’t helped his cause. A career .190 hitter over parts of four seasons in the majors, Wade has hit just .194 this spring, with 14 strikeouts in 36 at-bats. While Wade would be a good defensive backup for shortstop Gleyber Torres, it’s fair to wonder whether Gio Urshela could move to the position on occasion and if the Yankees would prefer to add a 1B/3B backup, such as Todd Frazier. Frazier, a former Yankee, was let go by the Pirates recently.
Here are three more observations from Yankees camp:
Giancarlo Stanton supports conversation about potentially moving the All-Star Game: The contest is scheduled to be in Atlanta on July 13, but Tony Clark, the leader of the MLB Players Association, told the Boston Globe that players have started talking about possibly asking MLB to move the game to a new location. Stanton, one of baseball’s most vocal stars following the George Floyd killing last year, said he’d be up to join the discussion. ”That’s always going be an open conversation, to get the best result for what makes the most sense,’’ Stanton said. “It takes situations like this and topics like this to move forward and talk about it and get a game plan.”
Jameson Taillon on track: Taillon threw approximately 75 pitches over five innings in a live batting practice format at the team’s player development complex Saturday, Boone told reporters.
A sneaky pick: Right-hander Jhoulys Chacin could wind up in the back of the Yankees’ bullpen. Boone said he had an opt-out in his contract, but he threw 2 2/3 shutout frames Saturday as the starter. Cots Contracts says Chacin would make $800,000 in the majors.
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Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
