3 questions Yankees have already answered at spring training, 1 they haven't

Are we sure the Yankees printed enough bullpen arms?

One of the easiest predictions of the offseason was that someone previously lurking in the shadows would rise through the Yankees' ranks to absorb important bullpen innings this season.

Still, after Scott Effross' back injury was revealed on Day 1 of camp, just after Wandy Peralta's departure had become official, it was somewhat fair to wonder ... how long the Yankees were allowed to have the reputation for "printing bullpen arms" if their established bullpen arms continued to disappear. At some point, the well would run dry and they'd need outside help ... right?

Well, so far, Nick Burdi appears to have answered the call, blazing 100 MPH heaters and otherworldly sliders past unsuspecting competition this spring. Cody Poteet and Cody Morris have both shown flashes. Luis Gil, recently demoted to minor-league camp, showed off his trademark heater in the spring training opener against Detroit. Who knows which of these players will have an outsized impact on the Yankees' bullpen this year, but it now seems relatively certain they still have the horses to cover innings six-through-nine (even if you're not familiar with those horses' names).

Which pitchers will be the first to receive call-ups when the rotation hits injury snags?

The Yankees helped sort out their internal pecking order a bit over the weekend by demoting Gil, Chase Hampton and Yoendrys Gómez to minor-league camp, leaving several "sixth starter" options still on the big-league board.

Gil will likely have his time to shine before too long, though both he and Gómez rank closer to "last resorts," as the 25-year-old flamethrower continues to work his way back from Tommy John surgery. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Poteet has shown off a shapely breaking ball, proving exactly why the Yankees chased him (and why Brian Cashman will likely have to learn his name sooner rather than later). Luke Weaver, the favorite for the long relief role entering spring training, hasn't done anything to dissuade that belief, showing off an improved cutter.

Hampton leaving so quickly was no surprise, and he should be back in the Yankees' Spring Breakout game while he plots the remainder of his rapid rise. For now, Will Warren and Clayton Beeter -- Friday night's primetime starter against Miami -- feel likelier to get quick call-ups, though the team will presumably favor a slightly more experienced veteran like Poteet.

Lingering Question: Can Yankees count on Carlos Rodón?

Until Rodón steps foot on the mound in the regular season, then rocks and fires 97 to the outside corner like we were promised (based on early spring bullpen work), this question will remain unanswered. And, even then, fans will demand a larger sample size, after being burned time and again in 2023.

Rodón's first season in pinstripes finished with its lowest moment; the lefty ace's turn in Kansas City, where he did not retire a batter and turned his balky back on Matt Blake, might've been the worst singular start in franchise history. Just when it seemed he might've turned a corner, too.

In an effort to live up to his long-term pact, he reported to camp in January, and his early side work portended a return to form. His first start of the spring didn't feature 97, but there was no reason for him to ramp things up unnecessarily; 95.9 MPH was plenty good enough, and his fastball had the requisite life to miss big-league bats, given proper location.

But that's what was missing last season. Even his "stuff" seemed to stack up, according to Stuff+, to with his 2021-22 Cy Young campaigns. Year-over-year, he was the same pitcher throwing the same pitches displaying vastly inferior command, likely hindered by his developing back condition.

As long as he makes it out of camp healthy and bounces back properly between outings, the Yankees should chalk that up as a win -- an appropriately low bar. But ... what happened during the live BP he threw on Friday, when four minor-leaguers homered off him in three innings of work? Was he trying to get the cutter right? Did his command regress once more? Was something bothering him that wasn't manifesting itself earlier in the spring?

Right now, fans have one positive data point, one strange one, and a whole lot of glowing reports from several weeks ago, all of which came across our desks second-hand. This powerful, looming question has not been answered yet.