Yankees Make Another Round of Spring Training Cuts

In the newest round of cuts the Yankees have sent the likes of Cito Culver, Rob Segedin, Tyler Austin, Francisco Arcia, Kyle Higashioka, and Gary Sanchez to minor league camp. None of these players were very likely to make it on the team for Opening Day, and only Austin has a outside shot at being on the team sometime this season if he continues to tear up the minors.

The fielders being cut mean that the infield battle is becoming tighter and they want to give more at bats to more serious candidates for the outfield positions. I was absolutely impressed with Cito Culver's fielding abilities. He can get to the ball and he has quite an arm, unfortunately he can't hit much and went 0 for 7 with one walk this spring. Segedin can play both outfield and third base, but the Yankees tried him out mostly in the infield where he committed an error. He also went 0 for 5 with one walk and one strikeout, so he probably didn't look too great to anyone. It would have been nice to see more of Tyler Austin, who seemed to be getting more and more playing time and even started to hit. He went 4 for 7 with two doubles, two walks, but also two strikeouts. He was a longshot to make the roster, but if Slade Heathcott is still in camp, even after hurting his thumb, it must mean he really is getting a chance to prove himself.

The cutting the three catchers seems to say that they're ready to give the more serious candidates more playing time. Chris Stewart, Francisco Cervelli, and even Austin Romine, JR Murphy, and Bobby Wilson could all benefit from an extra look. Higashioka went 1 for 3 with a walk and Arcia went 2 for 3, but neither really projected to be part of the organization's future. The Yankees top catching prospect, Gary Sanchez, didn't impress much as he went 1 for 5 with two strikeouts.