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All through spring training, the general assumption about the Yankees roster went like this: Brett Gardner, Kyle Higashioka, and Tyler Wade were assured of spots for the bench, and Mike Tauchman, Jay Bruce, and (seemingly to a lesser extent) Derek Dietrich had to compete for the final spot.
But what if the Yankees didn’t have to choose between Tauchman and Bruce after all?
One strategy that the team is weighing, according to major league sources, is to option Wade to begin the season.
The Yankees appeared to tip that strategy last week when they started Gio Urshela at short in an exhibition game, but we should be careful in reading too much into that. In reality, the Yanks are not comfortable using Urshela at the position except in an emergency. If Gleyber Torres were ever injured or needed a break of more than a game or two, it wouldn’t be Urshela filling in, it would be Wade.
But that doesn’t mean Wade has to occupy a roster spot on Opening Day. The Yanks could option him and, if anything happens to Torres, summon him then from the alternate site or Triple-A.
If the Yanks do decide to break camp with Wade, they will definitely not designate Tauchman for assignment, even though he is out of minor league options. They like him too much, and believe that he is healthy and will bounce back from a down year in 2020.
In that scenario, here’s how it would go down:
— Bruce can opt out of his contract on March 25. If he does that, the Yankees would have two additional days to add him to the roster. The deadline, then, is actually March 27.
— If the Yankees want to add Bruce and break camp with Wade, they would reach out to the several teams who have gotten in line to talk about trades for Tauchman.
— If there is a trade match, the Yanks would move Tauchman and choose two of Bruce, Wade, and Dietrich.
But again, the Yankees like Tauchman and don’t believe his poor results last year were representative. And keeping him could be as easy as using Wade’s minor league option.
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