3 Yankees who made Opening Day roster but shouldn't have long leash

Albert Abreu

The man either looks untouchable or is among the easiest relievers to touch. There is no in between. And more often than not, he's being tagged. Yankees fans know it very well. His meltdown in Tampa back in 2021 still makes one of the top lowlights of that season.

We'll acknowledge Abreu managed to be serviceable in 2022 after returning to the Yankees (he was dealt to the Rangers for Jose Trevino). He logged a 3.16 ERA, 2.92 FIP, 1.21 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 25.2 innings. But folks ... most of those games didn't matter. He pitched in 15 losses out of his 22 games. Yes, he limited his walks and propensity to surrender home runs, but he wasn't exactly tested.

And he's always good for one, disastrous implosion, further proving that this spring when he blew a 4-1 Yankees lead in the bottom of the eighth (and into the ninth) by surrendering five earned runs on four hits and a walk. Just like that. It always happens so quickly.

Maybe Abreu turns it around and we look silly. Would love that. His spring was very good up until that one outing. But if he has any sort of concerning hiccups in April, it's time to cut bait and call in Matt Krook or Greg Weissert.

Estevan Florial -- No, Wait, Franchy Cordero!

After one of the worst performances of any Yankees hitter this spring, Estevan Florial seemed to be heading up north to make the Yanks' Opening Day roster after Rafael Ortega was granted his release. Why? Well, he plays good defense and he's out of options, so the Yankees figured they'd probably get what they can out of him before cutting bait.

But wait! At the buzzer, former Red Sox outfielder (technically, he plays defense) Franchy Cordero busted in on an MLB deal and stole Florial's lunch, absorbing his role on the chopping block.

All spring long, it seemed like the absolute last chance for the 25-year-old Florial, who hit a dismal .163 with a .536 OPS and 19 strikeouts in 23 games (43 at-bats) during Spring Training. Last spring? He hit .097 with a .297 OPS in 17 games (31 at-bats).

To be fair to the outfielder, the lack of consistent playing time in the bigs has no doubt affected his development, but life in New York moves fast. Hitting .185 with a .579 OPS in 29 games (63 at-bats) in the bigs won't cut it, even if it's a small sample size. Florial might just be one of those guys who dominates Triple-A and can't make the transition to the show, sadly.

When it seemed like the Yankees had chosen Florial over Rafael Ortega, who was granted his release on Tuesday, fans went into defense mode, claiming no one could fault the Yankees for going with one of their own and sinking or swimming with their internal option amid his lasy chance. Instead, it appears Florial will likely get the boot, replaced by Cordero. Nobody hits the ball harder than the ex-Red Sox slugger, who hit over .400 and was a surprise cut with the Orioles this spring. However, his defense leaves more than a little to be desired, and he's never been able to translate his insane power into in-game production consistently.

Conversely, Florial's production with the big-league roster didn't even warrant a bench spot. But can Cordero -- most famous in New York for dropping a popup against the Yankees last year -- tread water any better before Harrison Bader returns? Pardon our Franch, but he's the next in line to go if he doesn't dominate quickly.