Yankees Spring Training Profiles (Part 5)

By James Vlietstra

February 28, 2026

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The Yankees are opening spring training desperate for a deep run into the playoffs.  They are coming off back to back 94 win seasons and have a streak of 33 consecutive seasons over .500.  However, they have not won a World Series since 2009.  They have only won one in the past 26 years, their worst stretch since the franchise began in 1903.

Because of the World Baseball Classic tournament, the Yankees will have more players in camp than they typically would.  As the players have begun reporting to camp, let's take a look at who is in camp and what we should expect from them this year.  From my best count, there's roughly six dozen players in camp.  So I am going to present them to you alphabetically, 12 at a time.

Max Schuemann....28 year old Util and on the 40.  The Yankees recently traded for Schuemann.  Last year, for the Athletics, he played in 101 games in every position except P,C, and 1B.  He is making the league minimum and still has three options left.  He is under team control for four more years.  He will compete during spring training for a utility role with players like Oswaldo Cabrera.  If he doesn't win it, he will likely head to AAA.

Braden Shewmake...28 year old SS and NRI.  After playing 31 games in the majors, the Yankees claimed him off waivers last offseason.  They then optioned him to AAA where he stayed all season.  He played 85 games in Scranton and remained on the 40-man roster all season.   He recently cleared waivers which allowed them to take him off the 40-man roster and sent him back to AAA.  They invited him to spring training to compete for Volpe's spot.  He is out of options so if they do recall him, they can not just send him back down.

Zack Short...30 year old SS and NRI.  The Yankees signed him to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training.  He has played for five different teams over the past five seasons.  Last year, he played in the Astros system, playing 112 games in AAA and an additional 22 in the majors.  He has no options remaining.  He's one of many trying to compete for playing time while Volpe is out.  He will likely go to AAA and probably has an opt out clause in his contract.

Giancarlo Stanton...36 year old DH/OF and on the 40.  Currently, Stanton is owed at least $64M over the next two years, with the Marlins on the hook for $30M of it. The third year would cost the Yankees $15M to keep him.  Last year Stanton hit 24 HRs in 77 games.  Quite productive while on the field, but he missed over 80 games to injuries.  He's currently the active HR leader with 453, just 47 shy of 500.  The range of variables for Stanton are enormous.  He could stick around for those three years and hit close to 90 home runs or he could get injured and ultimately get cut and the reality could be anywhere in between.  I would love to see him hoist the championship the way we all envisioned nine years ago when they traded for him.

Nick Torres...32 year old OF.  The Yankees signed Nick Torres to a minor league contract.  Apparently, they didn't invite him to spring training, which I find odd.  There's literally six dozen players there, but not  him.  Last year, he was the Mexican League MVP, playing 75 games, all in RF.  I would imagine that he plays in AAA.

Jorbit Vivas...25 year old 2B and on the 40.  The Yankees got Vivas in the trade that sent Trey Sweeney to the Dodgers.  He made his MLB debut and played 29 games for the Yankees along with 100 for Scranton last year.  Typically, I would say he is headed back to Scranton, however, he is out of options, so unless something unforeseen happens, Vivas will be DFA'd at the end of spring training.

Anthony Volpe...25 year old SS and on the 40.  The Jersey born shortstop was the Yankees first round pick in 2019. He won the starting SS job out of spring training in 2024 and ended the season winning a Gold Glove.  After two seasons of 3,0+ WAR, last year he slipped. His defense wasn't as sharp and as the year progressed his OPS dipped back to his career median of .663, after flirting with .730 early in the season.  It turns out he played most of last season with a partially torn left labrum that required surgery to repair in October.  There'll be several people gunning for his job as he recovers.  I would like to think the injury hampered his abilities last year and when he returns, he is the player we all want him to be.  If that isn't the case, Lombard may be battling for the job next spring, if not sooner.

Will Warren...26 year old RHSP and on the 40.  The Yankees drafted Warren in the 8th round in 2021.  He steadily progressed through the system.  Last year, when Cole was injured, he stepped right into the rotation and started 33 games and pitched 162.1 innings.  The longer the season went, the more comfortable he seemed to get.  He does have two options left, but he will be starting in the rotatio, while the team waits for injured players to return.  He has five years of team control and could bring back quite a nice haul at the trade deadline should the team determine that LaGrange and Rodriguez are approaching being ready.

Ryan Weathers...26 year old LHSP and on the 40.  Last year, Weathers suffered a forearm strain and a lat strain which caused him to miss all but eight starts.  This past offseason, the Yankees made a 4:1 trade with the Marlins to bring in Weathers, but in the process depleted their minor league depth.  He signed a contract for $1.35M.  He has one more option remaining and is under team control for three more years.  He's expected to begin the year as the number three starter, but could see time in the bullpen once others return from injuries.  He's looking to join his father as a World Series winner with the Yankees.

Austin Wells...26 year old C and on the 40.  The Yankees first round pick in 2020.  He made his debut in 2023 and became the starting catcher in 2024, playing in 115 games, with a WAR of 2.5 and finishing third in ROY voting.  They expected him to further develop in 2025, however, his offensive stats plummeted in the second half of the season.  Possibly fatigue set in?  He will be playing for the Dominican Republic in the WBC.  Afterwards, he is expected to play roughly 130 games behind the plate.  He has three options remaining and four more years of control and will be making the league minimum.

Cade Winquest...26 year old RHSP and on the 40.  The Yankees selected Winquest in the Rule 5 draft from the Cardinals.  He has to stay on the roster all year, or be offered back to them.  Last year, he pitched in Hi-A and AA, striking out 110 in 106 innings.  He will be joining the Yankees bullpen this year and I am rooting for him to stick around and help them win a World Series.  If he's able to stay all year, he will then have three options starting next year.

Ryan Yarbrough...34 year old LHRP and on the 40.  The Yankees signed him to a free agent contract towards the end of spring training last year.  For the year, he pitched 64 innings in 19 games.  They re-signed him for $2.5M.  He will likely serve in a similar role, both starting and relieving, as needed.

Kervin Castro...27 year old RHRP and on the 40.  He made 20 Major League appearances in 2022-23.  The Yankees selected him in the AAA phase of the 2023 Rule 5 draft.  He missed the entire 2024 season due to injury. He returned last year and made 35 appearances, striking out 52 in 47 innings with a 1.043 WHIP.  The Yankees added him to the 40-man roster before he could become a minor league free agent.  He'll likely return to AAA, as he has one option remaining, but could be an early season dark horse to get some innings.

The Yankees officially opened camp with 72.  That's slightly more than usual, as several players will be playing in the WBC.  This gives us a chance to see some players that we typically wouldn't have gotten a chance to see. 

Barring injury, there's really only 2-3 positional battles.  Most of the roster is the same as last year, however with some star players returning from injuries and some players entering their prime, this team could actually perform surprisingly well. 

They had six players with a WAR of 3.5+.  I would not be surprised to see eight at 4 or higher...Judge 8-9, Bellinger, Chisholm, Rice, 4-6 each.  Schlittler 7, Fried 6, Cole and Rodon 4-5.  That is a lot of talent spread around.  If Volpe and Wells can get back into the 3 range along with Warren and Bednar and now you're talking about a team that could win over 100 games.

And any team that wins 100 games is a serious contender to win the World Series.