Yankees Making the Team Meter: Hitters - Week Three

Three weeks of Yankees spring training is in the books, which means Opening Day isn't terribly far off. Two sets of cuts have already been made to narrow the field down to only the players who really have a chance of sticking around once the team heads to Texas to start the season.

Changes this week have been pretty few and far between besides saying goodbye to those reassigned to minor league camp. Not much has changed in terms of the favorites for the last few spots on the roster. Jacoby Ellsbury was hit in the wrist by a ball that could turn into an issue, even though it hasn't yet. That means the outfielders on this list are going to have the light shine on them a little more as spring training winds down.

Measuring where each player stands in terms of their chances of actually making the team is handled, as always, by our helpful key.

We are three weeks in and Austin Romine is still the prospective backup catcher who has performed the best. It's unlikely that many people would have placed their bets on that particular outcome a few weeks ago, but Gary Sanchez just hasn't gotten it going offensively all spring.

While it is true that spring training statistics are largely meaningless, that isn't exactly true for those players trying to do everything in their power to grab the last few spots on the roster. Sanchez might have been the favorite to grab the job if he performed well in spring training and left the team no choice. Now, though, it seems like there is little chance he doesn't start the season playing every day at Triple-A.

Romine hasn't exactly set the world on fire since the first week of spring training, so it isn't like he's doing a whole lot to grab the spot. With Brian McCann's backup being of little consequence as long as he is healthy, it probably doesn't matter. Romine is probably capable of filling that role, even if he ends up being frustrating offensively when he does play.

Rob Refsnyder still seems to have a hold on the backup third base job. No one else is really getting the attention Refsnyder has gotten, and no one else has shown the offensive capabilities the team knows Refsnyder possesses. He hasn't played a perfect third base, but it was always unrealistic to expect him to. He's likely been good enough for them to keep his bat around as a bench option.

Presumed backup for Mark Teixeira, Chris Parmelee, has hit fairly well this spring. There likely isn't a place on the Opening Day roster for him with Dustin Ackley being able to play first base in a pinch, but having Parmelee around in case the injury prone first baseman needs to miss any significant time is pretty important with Greg Bird recovering from shoulder surgery. Is Parmelee as good as Teixeira or even Bird? Of course not, but he has at least looked capable offensively this spring.

No one else has really managed to separate themselves in any meaningful way. The number of players in camp continues to dwindle and it seems like the two spots that were up for grabs have been all but settled. Barring an injury to a starter or projected bench player, the offensive side of the Yankees' Opening Day roster seems pretty set.