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3 Yankees who won’t make Opening Day roster but will contribute a ton in 2021

By Thomas Carannante |
New York Yankees pitcher Deivi Garcia (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
New York Yankees pitcher Deivi Garcia (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
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Before you know it, the New York Yankees Opening Day roster will be set in stone and the first pitch will be thrown on April 1.

But for now, we’re debating who will be among the final 26 men heading to the Bronx in a couple of weeks, and there certainly is a fruitful conversation to be had.

However, just because someone doesn’t make the Opening Day roster doesn’t mean they won’t be contributing for the duration of the season. It’s a grueling 162-game campaign and after last year’s 60-game sprint, almost every team will need all hands on deck.

It’ll be no different for the Bombers, who need all the help they can get year in and year out due to injuries and other unforeseen instances. This is probably the most World Series hype the Yankees have gotten in quite some time, too, so expect a ton of players to come through those doors from April to October.

Here are three Yankees who won’t make the Opening Day roster, but will contribute in 2021.

Michael King #73 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
Michael King #73 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

3. Michael King

Nothing against Michael King, but the emergence of Nick Nelson and the fact that Luis Cessa and Jonathan Loaisiga have been baked into the Opening Day roster doesn’t really help his case. Though Zack Britton’s injury has freed up a spot on the roster, the signings of Justin Wilson and Darren O’Day have made it harder for fringe pitchers to state their case.

King’s been solid this spring and it’s clear he’s working through some things as he looks to refine his stuff, but Nelson out-performed him in 2020 and the aforementioned guys have a significant leg up on him. He still needs to work on his control and avoid those blowup innings that contribute to his inflated ERA.

Across nine innings in spring training, King has allowed four earned runs on six hits and five walks, while striking out just six. He’s also hit two batters. It doesn’t help that Loaisiga, Nelson, Domingo German and Deivi Garcia have been lights out, either.

But the need for arms in 2021 will be greater than ever, and since King is knocking on the door of MLB anyway, he’ll be shuttled to and from Triple-A whenever somebody hits the injured list or when there’s a doubleheader and an extra guy is needed.

You’ll see plenty of King in 2021, just not on April 1.

New York Yankees pitcher Lucas Luetge (63) Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
New York Yankees pitcher Lucas Luetge (63) Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Lucas Luetge

Ohh, you’ve heard of Lucas Luetge by now. If you haven’t, then you’ve been watching zero spring training action.

Luetge is the lefty the Yankees signed early in the offseason and he (unsurprisingly) flew under the radar because he hasn’t pitched in the bigs since 2015. He also missed all of 2018 and 2020, but the Bombers are always looking for lefties, so they took a chance on the 33-year-old.

And that minor-league deal is paying off better than any other! So far this spring, Luetge has yet to give up a run in his five innings of relief. Across those frames, he’s allowed two hits and one walk while striking out 11. Absolutely untouchable.

But, like we said, the bullpen is probably settled, and the Yankees will likely go with a four-man bench that features Brett Gardner, Tyler Wade, Kyle Higashioka and Jay Bruce. Luetge’s efforts will not go unnoticed, though.

He’ll be stashed at Triple-A and will no doubt see major league action throughout the year, especially while Britton is on the shelf for the first three months of the season. The Yankees might want to have more than one lefty readily available at times through June, so he’ll be getting more chances to prove himself. You never know! Someone in the ‘pen can falter early on, lose their job, and then Luetge gets a shot.

Manager Aaron Boone said Luetge has turned a lot of heads and he’ll hopefully continue to do so at various points this year.

Deivi García #83 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
Deivi García #83 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

1. Deivi Garcia

Yup, all pitchers. Sorry if you were expecting a position player, but we can safely say that part of the roster is as set in stone as it can possibly be at this juncture.

Fans might be upset Garcia is likely to start the year in Triple-A, but it’s probably for the best. He’s had hardly any experience above Double-A and his 2020 debut (six starts) was a result of the global pandemic. He’s not yet built up to contribute 20-plus high-leverage starts on the big league roster.

Domingo German’s resurgence has no doubt begun to end the discussion about who the team’s fifth starter will be. He’s the more experienced arm and he’s proven he’s ready to go after his own long layoff. His 2019 cannot be ignored, either. He has a way more notable body of work than Garcia.

But Boone said on Sunday that the Yankees will be relying on both German and Garcia for starts this season, which is no surprise at all. Perhaps the Yankees go with a six-man rotation and Garcia makes the roster, but we wouldn’t bank on that. They’ll probably start the year with Gerrit Cole, Corey Kluber, Jameson Taillon, Jordan Montgomery and German, and then evaluate from there.

The fact of the matter is that Garcia will be called upon to make a number of starts. Everyone after Cole in the rotation still needs to be built back up to endure a full season because of injuries and a long time away from the game. None of those guys will come close to 200 innings pitched — probably not even 160.

Garcia not making the Opening Day roster is hardly “bad news” for the young right-hander. He’ll just have to wait for more opportunities to open up and he’ll get his chance. And if he’s proven anything, it’s that he’s up for the challenge whenever the Yankees need him.

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