New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays: Manny Bañuelos vs. Nick Allgeyer

Luis Severino was scheduled to start today, but he was pushed back yesterday with general “soreness,” which sounds concerning in its vagueness. He’ll throw a bullpen instead, and Manny Bañuelos will start in his stead.

It doesn’t feel all that long ago that Bañuelos was one of the Yankees’ top pitching prospects, but today he’s a 31-year-old trying to return to the big leagues for the first time since 2019. He threw about 50 innings that year for the White Sox, but his ERA was almost 7.00. He’s bounced around, pitching in China and Mexico, and now he’s back where it all began. Even with a good spring, Bañuelos might never pitch for the Yankees in the regular season, so take this opportunity to imagine if he and Andrew Brackman had worked out as well as Dellin Betances.

The Jays counter with Nick Allgeyer, a 26-year-old left-hander who made his debut last season, pitching one scoreless inning. He will likely start the season in the starting rotation of their Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo.

The Yankees will send out a lineup that is only missing shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the expected Opening Day starting nine. Josh Donaldson is leading off, Giancarlo Stanton is the DH, Gleyber Torres is at shortstop, and Kyle Higashioka will catch. Hopefully we see these players gel together well.

Toronto’s starting lineup won’t be quite as stacked as it will be on Opening Day, but you’ll still see the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, and Matt Chapman.

How to watch:

Location: George M. Steinbrenner Field - Tampa, FL

First pitch: 6:35 p.m. ET

TV broadcast: YES Network

Radio broadcast: WFAN/MLB.com

Online stream: MLB.tv

For updates, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.