TAMPA — The Yankees player development complex was busy on Monday, with new faces like Max Fried, Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt working out among the returning crop like Aaron Judge, Anthony Volpe and Jazz Chisholm Jr.
On Tuesday, pitchers and catchers will move across the street to George M. Steinbrenner Field for report day, which also means Aaron Boone’s first news conference of spring training.
With the Yankees coming off their loss in the World Series to the Dodgers and of Juan Soto to free agency, here’s a handful of questions that Boone might face when meeting with the media:
What’s the plan at third base?
Heading into camp, the Yankees appear ready to hold a competition for the third base job — assuming Chisholm moves to second base, as Boone has said is his preference — among internal candidates Oswaldo Cabrera, DJ LeMahieu, Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Vivas.
General manager Brian Cashman indicated last week that Chisholm could bounce between second and third depending on who was pitching that day, though the ideal resolution would be one of their in-house options knocking down the door and claiming third base. But there’s no guarantee that happens.
Boone raved about LeMahieu’s explosiveness last spring until the veteran fouled a ball off his foot in March, the latest lower-half injury for the 36-year-old, who still has two years and $30 million left on his contract.
The Yankees would seem to prefer having Cabrera in a utility role while Peraza has yet to hit in the big leagues and is out of minor league options. The lefty-hitting Vivas, who flashed last spring, has yet to make his MLB debut.
It will be interesting to see how the Yankees divvy up the reps at third base in camp, especially once the Grapefruit League schedule begins.
What is Marcus Stroman’s role?
If everyone in the rotation is healthy, Stroman enters camp as the projected No. 6 starter. It is valuable insurance, but pricey, with Stroman set to make $18 million and the Yankees currently around $4 million over the highest luxury tax threshold. They have tried to find a taker for him this offseason, but to no avail so far.
That could change once the free agent starters who are still available sign with teams, or after injuries pop up around camps — including the Yankees.
But in the meantime, how will the Yankees handle Stroman’s situation?
They may paint it as a competition, but that seems dubious. He was moved to the bullpen late last season, but made only one relief appearance and none in the postseason.
Since then, the Yankees have added Fried to the rotation (essentially replacing Nestor Cortes) to go with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil.
It should be a strength of the club if those five stay healthy, but it would also create some difficult conversations with Stroman.
Is everyone entering camp healthy?
Between 40-man roster players and non-roster invitees, the Yankees are set to have 69 players in camp this year.
There were no reported offseason surgeries, but every year there are at least one or two pitchers that feel some tightness or discomfort when they start their throwing program and enter camp behind the rest of their teammates.
Aside from Jonathan Loaisiga, who is coming back from April UCL surgery, is anyone else dealing with anything?
Fried and Carlos Carrasco, a non-roster invitee, each threw an inning of live batting practice against minor leaguers on Monday.
Bellinger, Volpe, Chisholm, Oswaldo Cabrera and non-roster invitee Dominic Smith took batting practice in a group together while Judge and Goldschmidt spent time chatting in the outfield.
Other players of note working out at the facility included Jasson Dominguez, Spencer Jones, Everson Pereira, Peraza and Vivas.
