Yankees spring training has been fully underway over the past few weeks. With much of the roster already set, there were few positions the Yankees needed to fill based on spring performances. Still, there are players that have impressed in spring, and some have disappointed to this point.

The Yankees had a lot of their bullpen set coming into spring training, with two spots open for players to take. So far, Brent Headrick has impressed in camp, and is the talk of the town around the Yankees. Having Headrick break camp with the Yankees would give them three lefties in their bullpen. Headrick’s strength is against right-handers, though his numbers against lefties were not bad either.

The rest of the bullpen is a big question mark. Cade Winquest has had a really bad spring training so far, posting a 6.75 ERA in 5.1 innings of work. The Yankees might not want to take the risk of having Winquest, who has never pitched above AA for the Cardinals, in their bullpen.

The Yankees also have two former Rockies relievers — Jake Bird and Angel Chivilli — have not pitched too well this spring Chvilli has posted a 15.43 ERA in 4.2 innings this spring. It seems that any time he steps on the mound, trouble, and runs, follow. Bird has posted a 6.00 ERA in 6 innings pitched. His stuff has looked a lot better, but he has still struggled a lot at times.

The Yankees should look at some external options, like Michael Kopech, with the struggles some of these guys have had this spring.

The Yankees rotation was solid last season once it got going. Don’t forget, Marcus Stroman and Carlos Carrasco were both making starts for the Yankees as late as July. This season, their depth is much better going into the season than last.

Ryan Weathers has had two starts, and they were polar opposites. The first against the Nationals was outstanding where he pitched three innings and allowed just one baserunner, facing the minimum nine batters. This weekend, Weathers faced the Mets and struggled past the first inning. His command was all over the place and he gave up five runs. The worry with Weathers is about his command. The good thing is there is still time for his mechanics to improve before the Yankees break camp.

The Yankees also have some ‘young pups’ waiting in the wings, like Elmer Rodriguez and Carlos Lagrange with high upside that could help the Yankees if the need arises during the season.

Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón are both on track to return from their injuries according to their projected timelines (Cole late May/early June, Rodón late April/early May), which will make big improvements to their rotation.

The Yankees are going to have the deepest bench they have had in years.

Right now, the Yankees will go into the season with Amed Rosario and Paul Goldschmidt on the bench for sure. The Yankees do have some decisions to make pertaining to the bench. They can take J.C. Escarra to be the backup catcher to Austin Wells if they are comfortable with Ryan McMahon being the emergency shortstop. If they are not, Max Schuemann and Paul DeJong, who have looked good so far in camp, could break with the team. The fourth spot is likely reserved for the fourth outfielder spot, which could be occupied by Randal Grichuk, who signed with the team earlier this month.

— Max Fried will be the Yankees opening day starter, as expected.

— Will Warren and Cam Schlittler will also be lined up to pitch in the San Francisco series

— Giancarlo Stanton has looked good so far this spring, with a home run and a single on Monday night.

— With the depth the Yankees have, the RailRiders might win the AAA championship.

The post Yankees Spring Training Updates: Solidifying the Rotation While the Bullpen Remains a Work in Progress appeared first on Matthew Nethercott.