The New York Yankees have reached the point in the spring season where roster battles are no longer theoretical and become uncomfortable. Jobs are becoming increasingly scarce. At-bats and innings now feel heavier. And two players who entered camp with little control over their own fate have forced their way into the conversation.
According to Greg Joyce of the New York Post, Max Schuemann and Brent Headrick have legitimate reasons to leave the Yankees’ camp, despite the fact that neither entered March as a lock. Schuemann has progressed from a depth option to a legitimate bench candidate, while Headrick has continued to demonstrate bullpen traits that the Yankees could justify carrying into Opening Day.
With Anthony Volpe still in rehab and not yet facing live pitching, the Yankees should think more about shortstop depth. And, with the final bullpen spots still uncertain, Headrick has made himself difficult to ignore.
Max Schuemann has Done Everything a Bubble Player can Do
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According to Joyce, the most compelling argument for Schuemann is simple: he has hit too much to be dismissed as a glove-first utility player. Schuemann’s spring line now stands at .409 with a 1.112 OPS after adding two singles against Tigers left-hander Framber Valdez on Sunday. Those are the kinds of numbers that make a front office wonder if a hot spring is revealing a valuable role player or just a temporary streak.
But the most important aspect of Schuemann’s case is fit. The Yankees don’t need him to start. They need him to get through all of the strange dead spots of a long season: late-inning defense, spot starts across the infield, emergency shortstop coverage, and the kind of clean, error-free baseball that keeps a game from slipping away.
This is especially important as Volpe continues to recover. Volpe had resumed pitch tracking and hitting practice, according to the most recent update, but he had yet to face live pitching. This does not cause panic, but it does raise the value of a player who can competently back up the middle infield on Day 1.
Schuemann appears to be benefiting from the way the Yankees are building this roster. They already have larger bats. What they need from the final bench spots is flexibility, clean defense, and enough contact ability to avoid becoming automatic outs. Schuemann checked each of those boxes this spring.
Brent Headrick Gives Yankees a Different Bullpen Look
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Headrick’s case is less flashy, but it may be equally compelling. The left-hander struck out two in another scoreless outing Sunday, bringing his total to four in five spring appearances. Aaron Boone praised both his stuff and his potential impact, but emphasized the one thing the Yankees still need to see: consistency.
That’s the keyword here. According to Joyce, the Yankees are well aware that Headrick’s arsenal can be effective. What makes him so intriguing is that they believe he can get outs against both lefties and righties. That matters because Tim Hill and Ryan Yarbrough already give the bullpen a softer left-handed look. Headrick has more power, averaging 93.9 mph on his fastball on Sunday and touching 95.1, giving New York a different type of lefty if it wants more bat-missing potential in the late innings.
At this point, Schuemann and Headrick have accomplished what fringe roster hopefuls are supposed to do: make the Yankees uncomfortable enough to keep talking about them. This usually means something.
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