Ten Yankees set to benefit from potential MLB roster expansion

P Jonathan Loaisiga

With Luis Severino out for the season, James Paxton on the pine for the first third of the season and Domingo German serving a suspension Jonathan Loaisiga’s chances at a spot in the starting rotation skyrocketed by mid-March.

At the moment, the Yankees rotation appears to be Gerritt Cole, Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ, and Jordan Montgomery, leaving the fifth spot wide open for Loaisiga

Loaisiga has spent portions of the last two seasons with the big league club as both a starter and reliever. He has flashed in both roles, even landing on the postseason roster in 2019. Still, his long-term role on the team is yet to be decided.

Does he have what it takes to be a starter? Or is he better utilized in short bursts out of the pen? With an expanded roster, Loaisiga could begin the season as a starter and if it appears to much for him to handle at just 25-years-old, he could make a smooth transition to the later innings.

There is reason to believe that he can become a legitimate weapon out of the pen late in games. Loaisiga boasts a high-to-mid 90s fastball and a wicked breaking pitch that hitters barely touched last season, hitters were only able to muster .125 batting average when facing his curveball, according to baseballsavant.com.

P Ben Heller

Just a quick look at Ben Heller’s numbers from 2017 and 2019 show that he could be a solid bullpen arm. Albeit injuries essentially wiped out his 2018 and most of last season, and his other Major League stints were very short, he did push for a roster spot this spring.

Heller was optioned to Triple-A in late March but reports indicated that Heller could right back in New York if the MLB were to expand rosters. In it until the end, Heller is one of the more likely candidates if the Yanks are able to keep an extra arm or two.

Heller was sent to the Yankees back in 2016 in the Andrew Miller trade, hopefully, he can finally make his mark in 2020.