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3 Yankees players who won't be on the roster by May 1

By Adam Weinrib |
New York Yankees v Cleveland Guardians
New York Yankees v Cleveland Guardians / Ron Schwane/GettyImages
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While Carlos Rodón's return is trending slightly later than May 1, Luis Severino seems to be on track to be added to the Yankees roster around the end of the month. His most recent throwing session was reportedly pain-free and, if you believe that, he shouldn't be forcibly placed on the shelf much longer.

Add in the team's two injured offensive players in Harrison Bader and Josh Donaldson, and there's a good chance that three separate Yankees rehabs will end on or around the start of next month. Bader and Donaldson played catch in the outfield before Thursday's game against the Twins, and the outfielder will reportedly begin a minor-league rehab assignment as soon as Monday.

That means it's already time to begin thinking about who might be shucked off the roster when this trio returns.

We'll level with you: there's a pleasant answer to this question, and then there's a pretty unpleasant answer to this question (which seems impossible now, but might feel different a few weeks down the line, when choices actually must be made).

Every Yankee mentioned here might be gone by early May, and we've ranked them from "first to go" to toughest decision.

3 New York Yankees players who'll be pushed off roster by May 1 (or soon after)

Willie Calhoun

It's very tough to see the Yankees' most recent fill-in, Willie Calhoun, making it through Bader's rehab and sticking on the roster. Even with Giancarlo Stanton's additional injury, Oswald Peraza seems like a safer bet to seize playing time.

No matter how this ends, though, Calhoun has already had his moments. His bases-loaded single in Tuesday night's blowout victory over the Cleveland Guardians helped set the tone, and during his next few weeks in the Bronx, the 5-8, 205-pound outfielder still has a chance to become a folk hero.

A can't-miss prospect who missed, fell out of favor in Texas after being included in a blockbuster trade, and is still trying to latch on, Calhoun has plenty to prove, whether his future is in the Bronx or elsewhere. He's going to do the most he can with the reps he still has remaining in New York and, above all else, he got to wear the pinstripes for a few weeks.

It can be difficult to say goodbye to favored fill-ins. Calhoun's departure will (probably) be a little easier to stomach. But we wish him well.

Greg Weissert (or Jhony Brito?)

Whichever starter comes back first will either send Jhony Brito to the minors (a more plausible outcome after Thursday's brutal start against Minnesota), or will force Clarke Schmidt to move back to the bullpen, likely for the majority of the season.

Therefore, the second player to go will either be the last man in the bullpen or Brito, which would mean his next few starts went sideways, too.

For now, we'll lean on optimism and assume Brito rights the ship in the coming weeks after leaving way too many fastballs middle-middle against a powerful Twins lineup. Based on the recently-displayed hierarchy, Colten Brewer was the obvious low man, and he was surprisingly DFA'd on Friday instead of Brito being demoted.

Ian Hamilton is (borderline) untouchable, at this point. The intimidating right-hander took the middle THREE innings on Thursday, tossing 47 pitches and 30 strikes. He struck out six, allowed a single hit and walk, and lowered his ERA to 2.08. Jimmy Cordero, who seems like a high-upside semi-liability, has been protected by the Yankees for years now as he rehabbed from Tommy John. They see something in his right arm. They're not cutting him on a whim.

Brewer? His great escape in Cleveland was noteworthy, but he was selected after Opening Day after a hot spring training with the Rays. He was called upon to soak up innings in Domingo Germán's start against the Guardians, and again on Wednesday night, surrendering home runs Nos. 2 and 3 of a nine-run first inning. All told, he allowed four earned runs in 3.1 innings of true mop-up duty.

That doesn't bode well for his long-term future here, even if he manages to clear waivers. We'll bet on Weissert's shuttle status coming in handy here the next time the Yankees need to make a maneuver ... unless he completely dominates.

Oswald Peraza (Sorry!)

Here's where it gets tough. When Bader comes back, Calhoun will more than likely be gone. When Donaldson comes back, will they use Oswald Peraza (promoted on Sunday in Stanton's spot) as a placeholder? Will they take advantage of his minor-league options while further scuttling his confidence?

If not ... that leaves Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who's owed $6 million and is beloved as a bench utility man by the front office. That leaves Aaron Hicks, who's owed $30 million over the next three years, but is despised by the fan base and seems to be unable to summon up the will to win, at this point. After all, who wants to impress a bunch of people who hate them?

And that leaves Franchy Cordero, who led the Yankees in RBI entering the weekend series against the Minnesota Twins. All four of his home runs during his stretch carrying the Bombers' offense have been massive, capped by his game-tying shot off Guardians reliever Trevor Stephan on Wednesday that traveled 439 feet and left the bat at 112.7 MPH.

Cordero has always possessed stunning offensive talent, but has never put it together for any longer than fits and spurts at the big-league level. He's the quintessential exit velocity darling. "No one's fixed him yet. Maybe he can't be fixed ... or maybe I can fix him."

As of this writing, letting Cordero go would feel absolutely absurd, but in a few weeks, it's possible the tide turns and this decision gets less sticky. Odds are, Peraza and Calhoun get the boot, even though May 1 should be Hicks' expiration date.

His complaining, lollygagging and, yes, poor performance could all work in tandem to convince Hal Steinbrenner that eating the money is the right call, in this rare scenario. But ... yeah, no way, right?

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