Yankees Making the Team Meter: Pitchers - Week Three

The Yankees continue to cut players from camp after three weeks of spring training. Over the last week, they have cut starting pitchers Chance Adams, Dietrich Enns, and James Kaprielian after the latter made his spring debut. Relievers Johnny Barbato and Giovanny Gallegos were also reassigned to minor league camp. Kap wasn’t expected to get much of a look, but the other players had varying degrees of chances.

Check out what the remaining players have done this spring and what to expect in the last few games.

The Yankees brought in a new player this past week when they signed right-handed reliever Ernesto Frieri to a minor league deal. It’s hard to tell what kind of chance he has but the next week should tell us if he’s even good enough to compete for a major league role. They already have Ben Heller and J.R. Graham impressing in camp, with Jonathan Holder and Chasen Shreve also in the picture. Many of them have the advantage of already being on the 40-man roster.

When it comes to the team’s rotation battle, two pitchers have shown themselves to be leading the competition. Bryan Mitchell and Chad Green have been doing well so far, while Luis Cessa and Luis Severino have struggled. Severino has been very hittable, however he has managed to strike out plenty of the hitters he has faced. Despite the numbers, he is still likely a favorite to make the team. It could all come down to whether or not he can adjust from here. Otherwise, it’ll be Mitchell and Green in the rotation, and Severino will be in Triple-A.

The competition for a left-handed specialist seems to be down to Tommy Layne and Jon Niese. Layne has returned from the World Baseball Classic, while Niese has been solid so far. Layne is the incumbent, however, it’s hard to see the Yankees send Niese to the minors after bringing him in just a few weeks ago. Jason Gurka remains in camp, but he won’t be much of a competitor against the other two.