Yankees Predictions: Will Tyler Wade or Clint Frazier make the Opening Day roster?

With less than four weeks to go until Opening Day, we have a pretty good idea what the Yankees starting lineup is going to look like on March 28th. As for the rest of the 25-man roster, the battle for one of the final spots on the bench is still undecided.

Right now it looks like the Yankees plan on carrying 13 pitchers to start the regular season which means they’re Opening Day roster is probably only going to feature three bench players. Two of those spots we know are going to go to backup catcher Austin Romine and utility man D.J. LeMahieu who is definitely going to get his fair share of playing time all over the infield.

That means the final spot is likely going to be won by either OF Clint Frazier or IF Tyler Wade. Now there’s still a chance that Greg Bird could also earn a spot if he continues his hot spring but Luke Voit is still the favorite to win that starting first base job. The Yanks could always end up carrying four bench players and only 12 pitchers, but if there isn’t going to be a path for Bird to get consistent at-bats he’s probably better off starting the season at Triple-A.

The same could also be said for Frazier who needs as many at-bats as he can after he missed the majority of last season due to post-concussion symptoms. Frazier is determined to win the starting left field job from Brett Gardner, but that always seemed unlikely. Even more so now because Frazier has gotten off to a slow start (3-14) while Gardner has already hit two home runs in his first five at-bats of the spring.

Even though Gardner isn’t expected to play as much as he has in recent years Frazier might not be the guy who takes some of his at-bats to start the season. After Giancarlo Stanton proved last year that he’s more than capable of playing left field he could see more time out there this season and the Yanks could rotate different guys in and out at DH.

I still think if Gardner’s struggles from a season ago carry over into 2019 we’ll see Frazier in the big leagues at some point, but to start the season he needs to play as often as possible. The only place he can do that is in Scranton for the Railriders. That’s why if I had to predict right now, the final bench spot looks like it’s Wade’s for the taking.

This might upset some people because since making his big league debut back in 2017 Wade has really struggled offensively in limited action (Career .161 BA AVG). Because of this many consider him to be nothing more than an AAAA caliber player. However, last spring he earned a spot on the Opening Day roster with a strong performance and he’s doing so again this spring.

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So far in a team-high 15 at-bats, Wade is hitting .333 with a home run and two RBI. Defensively he’s been solid as usual, showing off the versatility the Yankees love about him by playing all over the field.

Wade might never be anything more than a fringe big leaguer, but that doesn’t mean the Yankees will or should stop giving him chances to prove that he’s more than that. Should he struggle in April just like he did last season they could send him down again and bring up Frazier or Bird, but so far this spring he’s at least earned another opportunity to be on the roster.

The good thing about Wade is he doesn’t need to play every day to make an impact because of his speed and ability to steal a base as a late-game pinch runner. His versatility is also something you want off the bench which Bird and Frazier really don’t bring to the table.

If Wade makes the roster he’s probably not going to play a lot but after spending most of the last two seasons in Scranton I’m sure he doesn’t care what his role is as long as he’s in the big leagues. He’ll have a short leash with Bird and Frazier looming at Triple-A, but he deserves another chance and right now he’s the best fit.