3 Yankees DFA candidates who could lose 40-man roster spot before Opening Day

2. Jeisson Rosario

Yeah … yeah, Jeisson Rosario’s probably going to be the first one to Rosari-go.

While most Yankee fans are hoping Brian Cashman just got some Chaim Bloom-style revenge on the man himself by snagging the Red Sox’ roster runoff, Rosario’s stay on the 40-man might be a short one. It’ll take a major directional swerve for the toolsy outfielder to make the Yankees forget about Garrett Whitlock (and reliever Frank German, snagged in the Adam Ottavino trade).

Rosario showed up in the system over the weekend after Boston’s brass cut him loose to finalize Trevor Story. Initially, he showed a good deal of promise as one of two prospects acquired for Mitch Moreland. The now-22-year-old showed wild on-base skills at the minor-league level, posting a .271 average with .368 OBP as an 18-year-old at Low-A Fort Wayne, then following it up with .242 and .372 marks at the next level in 2019.

Unfortunately, he’s never hit for power, blasting three dingers in each of his past three full seasons. Now 22, the “projectability” needs to turn into production sooner rather than later, and the Red Sox (you’re not going to believe this) prioritized Story instead of waiting around.

In response, the Yankees took a flyer on him … but they certainly didn’t make him any promises. Rosario was the centerpiece of a mid-tier veteran trade in 2020, but hasn’t progressed much since that point. If New York can survive carrying him on their roster, they’ll be happy to try him at Somerset and see if they can uncover another athletic outfielder with raw power. If they upgrade their rotation by end of spring, though, he’ll likely be outrighted once more.

Shame, too. The Bombers could always use another interesting spelling variation on “Jason” in their minor-league mix.