5 Yankees on 40-man roster who won’t last all of 2023

As it stands at this moment, the New York Yankees‘ 40-man roster is full. But that doesn’t prevent them from making more moves this offseason once the trade market materializes, allowing the front office to potentially swing deals for bullpen arms or outfielders.

Even if that doesn’t happen, it’s hard to see this 40-man roster remaining static for the entirety of 2023, especially with so many players hanging on by a thread. It also wouldn’t be surprising if we saw some axed from the active roster if/when push comes to shove.

While the Yankees upgraded for the 2023 season, their offense still has a lot of question marks. Will Josh Donaldson become … average? Is DJ LeMahieu healthy? Who will play left field? What’s Gleyber Torres’ status/future? Will Oswald Peraza be an immediate fit at shortstop? Will Giancarlo Stanton be able to last a full season?

Right now, the only constant forces feel like Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, Harrison Bader and Jose Trevino, from an all-around baseball perspective. And that really won’t be good enough.

It’s totally fine if the Yankees enter 2023 with the collection of players they have at this point in time, but it’d be criminal if we’re looking at the same group even midway through the year if there appear to be bumps in the road.

These 5 players on the Yankees’ 40-man roster might not make it through 2023

5. Aaron Hicks

Hicks comes in at No. 5 because it still feels unlikely he’s traded (who will make a deal for him?) or released in the near future. The Yankees aren’t going to wave the white flag in trade talks, nor will they willingly eat the remaining money on Hicks’ contract (~$30 million).

But if he draws the ire of the fanbase again with his poor play, lack of hustle and uninspiring body language? The Yankees might not have a choice — kind of like this offseason when Hal Steinbrenner went the extra mile to re-sign Judge, add Carlos Rodón, and bring back Tommy Kahnle as the groans grew louder.

Nobody’s even penciling in Hicks as the starting left fielder for 2023 despite the fact there’s an obvious vacancy. He’ll be competing for the job with minor-league invites to spring training. He profiles as a bench player/fourth outfielder, but he’s getting paid like a middling starter.

This situation has already reached a boiling point. When it fully spills over, the Yankees may not be left with any other decision than to find a way to offload him no matter the cost.

4. Estevan Florial

Again, there’s a clear vacancy in left field and Estevan Florial, who’s been in the Yankees’ organization since 2015, is nowhere to be found in the discourse. The organization has hardly given him a chance — he’s seen just 29 games of MLB action since 2020.

But his biggest shot came in 2022 when injuries and regressions plagued the roster for a good amount of time. Florial appeared in 17 games but hit just .097 and OPS’ed .297. He struck out 13 times in 35 plate appearances. Though his defense in center and left was a breath of fresh air, the Yankees needed offense from the left side of the plate and he couldn’t deliver.

Maybe the Yankees were too harsh here. After all, 2022 marked Florial’s first full season at Triple-A, where he dominated. The 25-year-old slashed .283/.368/.481 with 66 runs scored, 15 homers, 46 RBI and 39 stolen bases in just 101 games.

It might be too soon to label Florial as a fringe major league who can’t take the next step from the highest levels of the minors, but it’s also valid to say his time is running out now that he’s entered his age-25 season. If he doesn’t impress in spring training, he’ll be back at Triple-A … and then the clock will really start ticking as the Yankees likely search for more value with his 40-man spot.

3. Ben Rortvedt

It seems as if we’re endlessly reminded of the disastrous Josh Donaldson-Isiah Kiner-Falefa “blockbuster” trade with the Minnesota Twins. While the Yankees got rid of Gary Sánchez — something they could’ve done without a trade and saved $9 million — they swapped Gio Urshela for Donaldson, whose performances were pretty much night and day (especially from an offensive perspective) in 2022.

Catcher Ben Rortvedt was the final piece of that deal and he wowed upon arrival with his meaty biceps. Unfortunately, knee surgery followed by an oblique injury wiped out his 2022 season. He was on the Yankees roster for a hot second but never appeared in a game. He played 48 games between Single-A, High-A and Triple-A, but hit just .218 with a .705 OPS.

Fans can’t imagine his leash is long, especially with the catching situation already set. Jose Trevino will start, Kyle Higashioka will back him up — and both of them have at least two more years of club control remaining.

Unless Rortvedt does a total 180 and becomes an overnight masher, the Yankees would likely much rather give any potential backup reps (in the event of an injury or trade) to guys like Austin Wells and Josh Breaux — both of whom have limited MLB experience, just like Rortvedt.

The only reason for keeping Rortvedt on the 40-man is to avoid starting the service-time clocks for those two prospects since they’re not quite ready yet. But a few more months of development could convince the Yankees otherwise if Rortvedt falters while Wells and Breaux flourish.

2. Albert Abreu

Per delusional Yankees Twitter, Albert Abreu is “tearing it up” in the Dominican Winter League. His line? 3.27 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and nine strikeouts in 11 innings of work. Some folks just happened to catch one nasty slider/changeup and convinced themselves that he has “potential.”

How much longer are we willing to wait on that, though? Baseball-Reference hawks will head on over to his page and try to justify his 22-game showing in New York last year. Or they might point to his impressive August back in 2021.

But that isn’t enough for a reliever the Yankees ostensibly hope to count on. If Abreu stays to pick up the trash in mop-up duty, then fine. If he’s ever utilized in a high-leverage situation when it’s not an absolute emergency, then the Yankees are beating a dead horse.

Abreu, 27, has time and time again proven that he’s incapable of harnessing consistency. Not every reliever needs to be a sub-4.00 ERA arm … but they certainly can’t oscillate from somewhat serviceable to batting practice.

With a few younger arms hoping to make an impact in the bullpen at the onset of 2023 (and as the season progresses), look for Abreu to be the odd man out later in the year (if the Yankees don’t make the decision prior to Opening Day).