5 Yankees who made the 2026 Opening Day roster but will be gone in a few months

Some fans understandably are not in love with the New York Yankees' Opening Day roster. We feel you. So that's why we're doing this. We are hoping to remain optimistic in the early going, but we aren't going to be delusional.

The Yankees clearly crafted a group out of spring training that would serve as a sort of litmus test for the remainder of the season. After all, Luis Gil isn't going to remain in the minor leagues for long. Jasson Domínguez and Oswaldo Cabrera won't be there for the entirety of 2026. Whether they come up to the roster or get traded, things will not remain static.

Some moves had to be made because of stipulations. Some moves were predetermined with spring performances playing no role whatsoever. All you need to know? A majority of these moves will be far from permanent. In fact, some are temporary by design.

Randal Grichuk will eventually be replaced on Yankees roster by Jasson Domínguez

Here's perhaps the most obvious "stipulation-based" move. The Yankees needed to roster Grichuk or else they were going to lose him to free agency. And the reality is that they needed another right-handed bat and preferred Dominguez to get everyday reps in the early going.

Sure, there are a few scenarios here that could change the outlook. The first is if Grichuk dominates. That'll obviously create a conundrum few expected. The other is Domínguez not showing the proper improvements at Triple-A. Conventional wisdom suggests Grichuk will be "fine" and Domínguez will do enough to return to the bigs by June. But, as you know, things don't always work out the way we envision them.

Brent Headrick will be a key bullpen contributor for Yankees until July

Many fans are bullish on Headrick, honestly. The big left-hander showed some flashes in 2025 and earned his job on the Opening Day roster in 2026 with a 2.57 ERA and 12 strikeouts in seven innings of work. That said, he only threw 47 innings last year and 22 1/3 in 2024. The Yankees' top relievers are usually in the 60-70 range. Headrick won't be there but ... are we sure he can hit 40 effective MLB innings despite never exceeding 23?

Maybe he can. Maybe he can't. But it's hard to believe Headrick will be here much longer after the first half unless we witness something extraordinary.

Cade Winquest will need a miracle to remain on Yankees roster all year

The good news is that Cade Winquest logged 106 innings in 2025. The bad news is that he's never pitched above Double-A, he's being converted to a reliever, and he's an unfinished product (and may never be finished).

He's entering his age-26 season and is only on the roster because he was a Rule 5 Draft Pick (and if he didn't make the Opening Day roster he would have to be returned to the St. Louis Cardinals, where the Yankees took him from).

Though his "stuff" "ticked" "up" toward the end of spring training, we're just not sure that's enough evidence to suggest he's going to be here beyond the middle of May.

There will be no Yankees role for Paul Blackburn by the trade deadline

Right now, the Yankees have two long relievers in Paul Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough. Maybe one of them morphs into a reliever that can handle high-leverage. We doubt it, but we are trying to be constructive here.

If not, then one of them is gone, especially since there's going to be a starting rotation squeeze once Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Luis Gil return. Blackburn feels like the odd man out given his recent track record and the fact he's only making $1 million. Our prediction is the right-hander does an admirable job eating innings for the Yankees in the first half, and then he's traded for cash or perhaps a different type of bullpen arm.

Yankees trade JC Escarra after hot start to get right-handed catcher

The Yankees are too left-handed, which more than likely influenced their decision to option Domínguez and go with Grichuk in the early going. It also more than likely influenced their decision to re-sign Paul Goldschmidt instead of figuring out something a bit more interesting?

But the biggest issue with the left-handedness is the fact the Yankees have two lefty-hitting catchers. Austin Wells and JC Escarra made the Opening Day roster, and while it's not the end of the world, it's definitely not ideal to have two below-average hitters as a redundancy at that position. So now when the Yankees are strategizing Wells' days off, they can't get creative. There's no way to play the matchups.

We like Escarra. He's an unbelievable story and an excellent vibes guy. But we just don't see this lasting beyond the first half because the Yankees will need to balance things out by the trade deadline. They're high on Escarra as a trade chip, so perhaps a solid showing in part-time duty will help them net another roster need.