The Yankees travel to face the Twins, Sunday at 1:05 p.m.

Yankees notes

James Paxton is on the mound, but their starting lineup is devoid of most of their expected regular position players. 

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It had been expected for most of Spring Training that INF/OF Tyler Wade would make the Yankees' 25-man roster. Instead, the Yanks optioned Wade to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday, paving the way for a newcomer to make the 25-man roster.

With Wade optioned, the expectation now is that 28-year-old OF Mike Tauchman -- acquired via trade from the Rockies on Saturday -- will make it. 

Tauchman has hit .153/.265/.203 with zero homers in 52 games during two stints in the majors spanning 2017 and 2018.

After posting a .130 average in Spring Training this year, the Yankees sent Clint Frazier down to Triple-A -- a deflating result for the 24-year-old that had high hopes of making the 25-man roster. 

It was a tough move for the Yankees to make, but manager Aaron Boone made sure to give Frazier some words of wisdom before he made the trip out of Tampa.

"Go keep working hard at your craft," Boone told NJ.com's Brendan Kuty. "You have a chance to be really good in this league for a long time.

Greg Bird was all set to return to the Yankees' lineup on Saturday, but Aaron Boone didn't want to risk it.

After taking batting practice, Bird -- who was hit on his right elbow by a pitch on Wednesday -- was scratched before the Yanks' 7-3 loss to the Blue Jays on Saturday. Bird was also scratched on Thursday and sent for X-rays and a CT scan because of swelling; both tests were negative.

The Yankees have sorted out their starting rotation for the beginning of the season.

Domingo German has earned a spot in the rotation while Luis Cessa made the club has a long reliever. Jonathan Loaisiga was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday because CC Sabathia will begin the season on the 25-man roster so he can serve his five-game suspension from last season, but Loaisiga likely will be called up for Game 6 when Sabathia goes on the injured list, Aaron Boone told reporters.

Boone didn't rule out using an opener on April 1 when the fifth spot in the rotation comes up. After that, Loaisiga probably will take Sabathia's spot in the rotation until he can return while German takes the spot of Luis Severino, who might not return until May as he works his way back from rotator cuff inflammation.

The Yankees added some outfield depth on Saturday, striking a trade with the Rockies for OF Mike Tauchman, the team announced. New York sends LHP Phillip Diehl in the trade. 

Tauchman made his Major League debut back in 2017, and played in 21 games with the Rockies last season. He didn't have success in 37 plate appearances, hitting .094/.194/.125 with five runs scored. The 28-year-old did see success in Triple-A Albuquerque, though, with a .323/.408/.571 slash line, 20 homers and 81 RBI. 

As The Post's Joel Sherman pointed out, Tauchman gives the Yankees another option to play centerfield as well as a left-handed bat for the short porch if they need it. The Yankees did send Billy Burns and Clint Frazier down in Triple-A, but with Tauchman hitting .196 in Rockies Spring Training, he shouldn't be breaking camp with the team. 

Gleyber Torres crushed a three-run homer in the first to put the Yankees up early, but the Blue Jays stymied them after that in a 7-3 loss for the Bombers on Saturday afternoon in Tampa. >> Box Score

Things to know about Saturday's game...

1) Torres' homer was a line drive shot to left-center field where Giancarlo Stanton and Miguel Andujar scored. He went 1-for-2 with the three RBI and run scored on the day. 

The Yankees host the Toronto Blue Jays at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla. at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday as Spring Training begins to wind down. 

Yankees notes

Aaron Judge is back in the Yankees' lineup with a team-leading six home runs and 15 RBI. ... Giancarlo Stanton is batting third after homering twice on Friday night. He now has four home runs and eight RBI this spring. ... Greg Bird gets the start at first base with most of the regulars as he continues to make his case for the team, hitting .333 with three home runs and eight RBI this spring. 

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Giancarlo Stanton mashed the Yankees to a 6-3 win over the Phillies on Friday night in Tampa. >> Box Score

Things to know about Friday's game...

1) Stanton is having a strong finish to his spring, and that included two home runs on Friday. His first was a solo shot in the bottom of the third inning, and in his next at-bat, he struck at two-run homer over the left field wall. Stanton is hitting .342 this spring. 

The Yankees made a few roster moves heading into their penultimate Spring Training contest on Friday night, but the most notable was OF Clint Frazier being sent down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Frazier entered Yankees camp in Tampa with a good chance of making the 25-man roster. However, he has struggled mightily at the plate over his 17 games. The 24-year-old was hitting .130/.208/.217 with five RBI and 15 strikeouts. 

Last season, Frazier dealt with concussion and post-concussion symptoms that saw him play a total 69 games on all levels. He worked hard this offseason to get back to normal, even saying he sat in the front row of a lot of concerts this offseason to make sure he could deal with the loud noises of a stadium. 

Chris Carelli, SNY.TV  Twitter | About Me | Archives

The Yankees return a largely similar roster from 2018, meaning the difference this season could be based on the maturation of manager Aaron Boone.

In 2018, Boone was handed the reigns to a team that had just advanced to the ALCS, only to lose in seven games. While the Yankees might have been a surprise in 2017, the expectations heaped on Boone's team were as high as ever.

Yankees LHP CC Sabathia said he felt good after throwing two innings against Phillies minor leaguers, the first time he has faced opposing batters for the first time this spring as he looks to return to the mound from a heart procedure he underwent this past offseason.

"It felt good. No problems," Sabathia said, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "I felt like I was letting the ball come out of my hand pretty good. All positive. You've got to throw the results out and go on how you feel. I feel great, so I'm just ready for the next step."

Sabathia threw 26 pitches in two innings against the Detroit Tigers' Triple-A team on Thursday at the Yankees' minor-league complex, striking out three batters and allowing one run and two hits.

It appears Gio Gonzalez won't enter the Yankees rotation unless there is an emergency.

And though Luis Severino is set to miss roughly the first month of the season after dealing with rotator cuff inflammation and CC Sabathia needs more time to get ready, the Yankees don't believe they're in crisis mode because they have Luis Cessa, Jonathan Loaisiga and Domingo German. GM Brian Cashman would prefer to use any of those pitchers instead of Gonzalez, who was signed to a minor-league deal this week.

"Optimally, I'd like to have the kids that we have, rely on those guys, to be honest," Cashman told reporters on Thursday. "We really do believe in the ceilings of the Cessas and Loaisigas and the Germans and we think those guys have earned the right for an opportunity and they're going to get those opportunities."

Scott Thompson, SNY.tv | Twitter |

The Yankees are exactly one week away from opening their 2019 season against the Orioles in the Bronx, and the battles to make the 25-man roster when camp breaks are coming down to the wire. Injuries continue to plague this squad, with Greg Bird the latest to receive medical attention after he was hit by a pitch in the elbow. Luckily, that isn't expected to be a big deal, but other Yankees may not be so lucky when the season kicks off.

Here's how we see things shaking out in our 25-man Roster Prediction 3.0...

The Cardinals' offense was too potent for the Yankees on Thursday afternoon, as the Bombers fell 11-3 to St. Louis.>> Box Score

Things to know about Thursday's game...

1) Domingo German got the start today, and it was one he'd like to re-do. He allowed six hits -- three of them homers -- for a total five earned runs over 3.2 innings. He did strike out four hitters, but his ERA rose to 4.11. 

Long-time Yankees GM Brian Cashman is not merely working within the new mold of roster construction in baseball as he guides the Bombers. Instead, Cashman has been facilitating its creation -- and the groundwork goes back longer than one might think.

Within an excerpt from a new book (published in the NY Post), "Inside the Empire: The True Power Behind the New York Yankees," written by Bob Klapisch and Paul Solotaroff, we got a glimpse into the discussions leading up to the deal that brought Giancarlo Stanton to the Yanks. Klapisch and Solotaroff also paint the picture of what general managers strive to highlight in the new age of building rosters -- youthful dominance -- and how Cashman has been able to alter the club's methodology.

An aspect that might go unnoticed among the casual fan is that Cashman and the Yankees were working the youth angle well before what some believe to be the start -- the "sell-off" leading up to missing the 2016 postseason. That summer, the Yankees replenished a middling farm system and boosted the minor league organization's status to among the best in the game. But the basis for the current core was already established...

Yankees first baseman Greg Bird was scratched from Thursday's lineup so he could undergo X-rays on his elbow after he was hit by a pitch in Wednesday's game, according to The Athletic's Lindsey Adler. Luckily, it looks like Bird will be just fine. 

According to Newsday's David Lennon, manager Aaron Boone said the X-rays and CT scan that Bird received in Tampa came back negative. The Yankees, then, will have Bird rest to allow the swelling to subside. 

Manager Aaron Boone said he thought Bird could have played today, but sent him back for precautionary measures, adding he was worried that Bird playing through soreness could affect his mechanics, according to Adler. Yankees GM Brian Cashman expects Bird to be day-to-day, telling Adler the X-rays are "routine."

Ichiro Suzuki walked off the field Thursday for the last time as a player, ending a Hall-of-Fame career that began in 2001 -- including a stint with the Yankees and a period spent pestering the Mets as a member of the Marlins. And while he was one of the best hitters ever, he also gave some of the best and funniest quotes ever. Here is a sampling...

'Who the f*ck is Tom Brady?'

In 2017, Ichiro received a text message from a number he didn't know. The number belonged to Tom Brady, who had gotten it from Alex Rodriguez and wanted to talk to Ichiro about his stretching regimen. When one of the coaches asked Ichiro who had texted him, his response was perfect: 'Some guy named Tom Brady. Who the f- is Tom Brady?'

Former Yankees outfielder and Mariners legend Ichiro Suziki retired after Thursday's game in Japan, the Mariners announced in a statement.

"I have achieved so many of my dreams in baseball, both in my career in Japan and, since 2001, in Major League Baseball," Ichiro said in a statement. "I am honored to end my big league career where it started, with Seattle, and think it is fitting that my last games as a professional were played in my home country of Japan."

Ichiro, 45, played in only 15 games last year before he stopped playing, only to return for Seattle's two-game regular-season series at Tokyo Dome. He went 0-for-4 on Thursday before he was removed from the game, leaving the field to a standing ovation.

Domingo German takes the mound as the Yankees face the St. Louis Cardinals in a Grapefruit League game on Thursday at 1 p.m. at Roger Dean Stadium.

Yankees notes

Outfielder Aaron Judge leads the Yankees with six home runs and 15 RBIs this spring. ... Matt Lipka and Billy Burns are in a tie for second on the team in stolen bases (four), trailing only Estevan Florial (five).

The Astros and Yankees were stuck in a pitcher's duel on Wednesday afternoon, but it was Houston coming away with the 2-1 win in the end. >> Box Score

Things to know about Wednesday's game...

1) The Yankees, once again, went with an opener as Jonathan Holder got the ball for the first two innings. He was stellar, allowing no hits and only one walk to move his spring ERA to 0.87. 

While the Yankees will be without injured ace Luis Severino for a while longer, he took a big step on Wednesday toward a return, throwing on flat ground. 

Severino had been shut down since March 5, and GM Brian Cashman announced last Friday that the best-case scenario for Severino would be a May return -- confirming the timeline an orthopedic surgeon gave SNY earlier this month. 

The 25-year-old Severino does not have any structural damage in his shoulder, but he is basically re-starting his Spring Training as the team prepares for Opening Day in just over a week. 

The Yankees head to West Palm Beach to take on the Astros on Wednesday at 1:05 p.m.

Yankees notes

The Yankees continue their experiment with using an opener as Jonathan Holder gets the start. ... Both Luke Voit and Greg Bird are in the lineup as their battle to be the starting first baseman continues. ... Clint Frazier starts in right field a day after starting in left. ... Gary Sanchez is behind the plate for the second straight day.

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As his free agency dragged into mid-March, Gio Gonzalez chose the Yankees because, well, he had nowhere else to go.

The veteran lefty told reporters Wedneday morning that the deal he accepted with the Yankees is the only offer he received. Gonzalez's one-year, minor-league deal carries a base salary of $3 million and he can earn $300,000 for every MLB start, with a maximum possible value of $12 million.

"They gave me something I couldn't turn down," Gonzalez said, per MLB.com. "I was like, 'Let's do this. Let's go to work.' I can't be ungrateful. This is a pretty great opportunity."

Mike Trout and Alex Bregman may have been the latest players to secure long-term extensions on Tuesday, but for Didi Gregorius and Dellin Betances, they will have to wait. 

According to Jon Heyman, the Yankees are "nowhere close" to a deal with either player despite interest in extending both of them earlier this spring, as SNY's Andy Martino reported. 

The two players, who are both eligible for free agency after the season, were thought to be next in line for extensions after the Yankees struck team-friendly deals with Luis Severino and Aaron Hicks at the start of Spring Training. 

Dellin Betances' difficult Spring Training ended on a sour note. 

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday the reliever will begin the season on the Injured List. Betances struggled with his fastball velocity throughout camp, and he was officially diagnosed with a right shoulder impingement and inflammation after undergoing an MRI. 

His rehab will consist of anti-inflammatory medicine and rest. He will be shut down from throwing for at least three days. 

Luis Cessa was stellar once again while Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gary Sanchez lead the Yankees to another Spring Training win in a 6-2 victory over the Rays. >> Box Score

Things to know about Tuesday's game...

1) The Yankees decided to experiment with an opener against the team that lived by them all last season. Chad Green did allow one run on two hits while striking out one before handing the ball over. 

Aaron Hicks had a second cortisone shot in his back over the weekend, and he declared himself pain-free Tuesday. 

The next step for the outfielder, who has already ruled himself out for Opening Day next week, told reporters the next step in his rehab process will be to take swings without any pain. 

After Hicks' first cortisone shot, the pain dissipated but returned when he started taking cuts again. This time around, he wants to be sure that same issue won't repeat itself. 

So now we know Mike Trout, baseball's first $400 million man, almost certainly won't ever be bringing his talents to the Bronx, and in a sort-of-related matter, Aaron Judge is currently sporting a rather insane 1.061 slugging percentage in the Grapefruit League, hitting extra-base rockets all over Florida. 

How is it related? Well, with Trout agreeing to a 12-year, $430 million contract extension with the Angels, it's only natural to ask: when do the Yankees lock up Judge?

I'd say the sooner the better, before he wins the AL MVP award in 2019 and his price begins to climb toward Trout territory.

On the morning after Derek Jeter announced his retirement during spring training of 2014, I happened to be in Angels camp in Tempe, Arizona. At that time, a manufactured storyline was going around that Mike Trout could replace Jeter as the "face of baseball."

As Trout fielded questions about this topic, he was affable, engaging -- and clearly uninterested in being anything other than a great ballplayer for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He was more goofy younger brother than international celebrity, and that seemed fine.

The news on Tuesday morning of Trout's 12-year, $430 million agreement with the Angels, first reported by ESPN, closed off any remaining chance that Trout can ever rise above niche recognition from hardcore baseball fans.

The Yankees passed on signing Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, and never got the chance to lure Nolan Arenado to the Bronx. They're also not going to have a chance to pitch the best player in baseball on the idea of putting on the Pinstripes.

Mike Trout, who had been due to hit the free agent market after the 2020 season, has agreed to a 12-year deal worth $430 million to remain with the Angels, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. 

His deal averages out to $35.83 million, and eclipses Harper's as the biggest in the history of North American sports. 

Gio Gonzalez could be in line for quite the payday with the Yankees. 

Nearing a Minor League deal with the club, the left-hander will have a base salary of $3 million. After that, he can earn $300,000 per start, with a maximum total of $12 million this season, per Jon Heyman. 

Gio: 3M base milb deal, 300k per start. 12M Max. #yankees

Tags: CC Sabathia, Luis Severino

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The Yankees will face the Rays on Tuesday at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.

Yankees notes

Chad Green gets the start as the Yankees experiment with using an opener. ... For the second straight day, the Yankees are rolling out a typical top-four of the lineup, with Brett Gardner, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Gary Sanchez getting things started. ... Clint Frazier starts in left field, while Greg Bird gets the nod at first base. 

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The Yankees will be without Aaron Hicks for at least the opening series of the regular season due to back stiffness that has required two cortisone shots. With back issues, reducing the pain while getting up to game speed is difficult and can often linger well beyond the original diagnosis.

The Yankees will have to make a decision on who will take the newly vacant roster spot and they have two choices: Clint Frazier or Tyler Wade.

Which player makes the most sense?

The Rays were one of the teams at the forefront of the "opener" phenomenon in baseball, in which a reliever starts the game and gives way to a parade of relievers the remainder of the contest. 

On Tuesday, the Yankees will use the tactic against Tampa Bay in a Spring Training exhibition at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. Reliever Chad Green will start for New York, while Luis Cessa, who normally operates as a starter, will be available out of the bullpen. 

Green was a starter during his junior season at Louisville in 2013 and for his first three seasons in the Minor Leagues. The right-hander has made nine starts for the Yankees in his career. Meanwhile, Cessa has started 19 games, with 24 relief appearances.  

Andy Martino, SNY.tv | Twitter |

The Yankees needed starting pitching depth, especially after learning last week they will be without injured ace Luis Severino until at least May.

And while we can file the signing of veteran lefty Gio Gonzalez into the "why not" category, we can also look at recent history and see it as unlikely that Gonzalez will be much help.

Masahiro Tanaka threw five solid innings and Luke Voit hit his fourth home run of the spring as the Yankees beat the Atlanta Braves 7-4 on Monday in a Grapefruit League game at Champion Stadium.

Things to know about Monday's game

1) Tanaka struck out seven batters and allowed one run, two hits and two walks in five innings, lowering his spring training ERA to 3.00. The lone run he allowed came on a Nick Markakis solo homer.

2) Voit hit a solo homer in the second inning off Braves RHP Bryse Wilson that gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead, and Ryan Lavarnway added a two-run single later in the inning that made it 3-0.

The Yankees are nearing a deal with free-agent LHP Gio Gonzalez, SNY.tv's Andy Martino confirmed.

New York would sign Gonzalez, 33, to a minor-league contract worth $3 million should he reach the majors, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Gonzalez's contract, according to Rosenthal, also contains an opt-out clause for April 20 should he not be on the MLB roster by then and additional incentives for games pitched.

Yankees prospect Estevan Florial will wear a cast for "a few weeks," according to Aaron Boone, after suffering a non-displaced fracture in his right wrist during Saturday's game.

An MRI revealed that there is more damage than initially known from X-rays, but it won't affect Florial's timetable.

"He had a second little fracture in there, which, in the grand scheme of things, is inconsequential because it heals along with the other one," Boone told reporters on Monday. "It's very similar. It should be - I think from a prognosis, it's very similar from what we anticipated, after getting all the images and after seeing the hand specialist."

The question surrounding Jacoby Ellsbury for some time now has been will he ever play for the Yankees again? 

But with Ellsbury finally healthy enough for some baseball activities and reporting to Yankees camp, the question has actually become when will he play for the Yankees again?

"As far as a timeline of when I'll be playing, we're not sure yet," Ellsbury told reporters on Monday. "But definitely headed in the right direction."

The 35-year-old missed the entire 2018 season because of injuries. He initially suffered an oblique strain in spring training last year and while rehabbing suffered a hip injury. After undergoing hip surgery in August, an old plantar fasciitis issue resurfaced and delayed his 2019 return.

The Yankees head to Disney to take on the Braves at 6:05 p.m. on Monday.

Yankees notes

Masahiro Tanaka makes his penultimate Spring Training start before taking the hill on Opening Day. ... The Yanks are rolling out a strong top-four Monday with Brett Gardner, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Luke Voit, who continues his bid to win the first-base job.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone is hopeful RHP Dellin Betances can build his arm strength back up with a week and a half remaining until Opening Day.

"I do think he's healthy and fine, it just taking him a while to find the arm strength," Boone said, according to the New York Daily News' Kristie Ackert, after Betances pitched in a Grapefruit League game Sunday for the first time in a week. "Talking to him again today, he kind of said it feels akin to what he feels basically every spring training early, but just hasn't broken through yet. He was efficient with his pitches, threw strikes today. Had a nice, easy inning. Hopefully this next week,10 days he can start to find that arm strength and build on it a little bit."

Aaron Hicks revealed Sunday his sore back will cause him to miss Opening Day and begin the season on the Injured List. 

But Hicks' injury has left manager Aaron Boone and Yankees management with a conundrum regarding the entire construction of the roster.

Several factors will play into who ultimately sees the bulk of reps in Hicks' absence, including how many pitchers the team decides to roster on Opening Day and whether Clint Frazier and Tyler Wade are worthy of possibly seeing significant playing time in the outfield, according to George A. King III of the New York Post. 

The Yankees' offense stayed hot with three home runs and New York pulled away late to secure a 7-3 victory over the Phillies on Sunday at Spectrum Field in Clearwater. >> Box Score

Five things to know from Sunday's game

1. James Paxton turned in 4 1/3 hitless innings, but allowed one earned run on two walks with four strikeouts. The lefty lowered his Grapefruit League ERA to 1.54.

The Yankees' regulars flexed their muscles in Sunday's 5-3 split squad win over the Orioles. >> Box Score

Five things to know about Sunday's game...

1) Luke Voit crushed a two-run home run in the first inning, his third of the spring, as he looks to secure his spot as the starting first baseman on Opening Day.

The Yankees' interest in free agent pitcher Gio Gonzalez has evolved into an offer, but a gap still remains between the two sides, according to Jon Heyman. 

While the two sides remain apart, Heyman added there remains optimism a deal could still get done. 

Gonzalez, 33, is one of the top remaining free agents available with less than two weeks until the start of the season and would give the Yankees some depth as they prepare to begin the season with ace Luis Severino on the injured list. 

The Yankees split up on Sunday and have a good chunk of their major-league talent going against Jerad Eickhoff and the Phillies at 1:05 p.m. in Clearwater, Fla. 

Yankees notes

Greg Bird will bat third and get the start at first base against the Phillies as he carries a .344/.488/.542 spring slash line while he makes his case to be on the Opening Day roster. ... DJ LeMahieu and Troy Tulowitzki will bat 1-2 while Gleyber Torres and Gary Sanchez are the other Yankees' regulars in the split-squad game. 

The other half of the Yankees split squad head to Sarasota, Fla. on Sunday to take on the Orioles at 1:05 p.m. 

Yankees notes

Luke Voit will bat third and play first base while his competition does the same in the Yankees' other split-squad game. Voit has been productive so far, hitting .286/.394/.536 with two home runs and eight RBI in 33 plate appearances. ... Miguel Andujar returns to the lineup after getting Saturday off and Clint Frazier is batting cleanup.  

Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks has officially declared himself out for Opening Day. 

The 29-year-old told ESPN's Coley Harvey that he received a second cortisone shot for his lower back injury on Sunday but expects to return for the Bombers' second series against the Tigers on April 1. 

GM Brian Cashman cast doubt on the possibility of Hicks being ready by Opening Day on Friday, saying that the outfielder would probably need some more at-bats before he can re-join the team by then.