Yankees Roster Bubble Projections: Who are the last three in, first three out?

The New York Yankees have had a few bumps along the road to crafting a 26-man Opening Day roster, as well as a few extremely welcome surprises. But when the dust settles, who'll snag the final few roster spots before the curtain rises on 2023? And who'll be left playing in the NIT in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre?

In honor of March Madness, the Yankees intend to make several of you very mad when they present their final Opening Day roster. One of your favorite shortstops will win the starting job; the other will be demoted to the minors to increase their reps. One of your favorite outfielders who's "way better than Hicks" will be left out in the cold, DFA'd as Hicks' reign continues. And while there's a chance Isiah Kiner-Falefa will be traded to help solve an infield logjam, his recent center field work hints he'll be this roster's $6 million 26th man.

While the bullpen will shuffle all year long and Carlos Rodón/Harrison Bader/Lou Trivino/Tommy Kahnle will eventually be healthy (well, maybe not Kahnle), these three players will likely take advantage of those injuries to sneak onto the final roster by the skin of their teeth.

The players on the other side of the bubble? Better luck next year. Get better recruits and install a stronger system.

3 Players Who Will Be Left Off Yankees Opening Day Roster, and 3 Who'll Sneak On

Last Three on Yankees Roster: Jimmy Cordero, RHP

The Kahnle injury timeline, which featured a recent setback, combined with the Trivino elbow issue, should get Jimmy Cordero onto the roster, despite a few spring stumbles as the malaise of March begins to set in.

The Yankees have long coveted Cordero, and waited by his side as he completed his rehab from Tommy John surgery suffered during his time with the White Sox. He throws the near-100 MPH sinker the Yanks have favored in all their recent unfamiliar relief acquisitions, and the 31-year-old doesn't have much left to prove in the minors. If the Yankees think they've unlocked him, they're going to let him loose.

The Kahnle/Trivino injuries, along with the rotation shuffle that added Clarke Schmidt to that quintet, all but assured Albert Abreu's role; he was probably the last guy in the bullpen before all this went down. Now, there's also room for Cordero, as well as one additional reliever...

Last Three on Yankees Roster: Matt Krook, LHP

Without either Schmidt and Domingo Germán in the bullpen to start the year, the Yankees would also like a swingman. Playing the role of JP Sears this season, it's 28-year-old former Rays left-hander Matt Krook!

A longshot to make the roster entering the spring -- even though he'd opened eyes by delivering 155 Ks in 138.2 innings last year at Triple-A -- Krook now has a pretty good shot to grab the final open bullpen role/absorb longman innings in the early going.

Sadly, that also means he'll be the first one back to the minors on the Scranton Shuttle and probably won't see a non-blowout (in either direction) for several weeks. He's impressed in four longer outings this spring, striking out a predictable 13 in 10 innings (with an excellent 3.60 ERA/"meh" 1.30 WHIP). Expect a short, two-week stint to open the campaign, followed by a return in late May or early June.

Last Three on Yankees Roster: Estevan Florial, OF

Florial won't reach the Triple-A roster if he doesn't make the bigs; this spring was the former top prospect's last stand, as he's now out of minor-league options. So far, he's hit just .182 in 33 at-bats in February and March, knocking a home run (during a non-televised game) and stealing five bases. Florial, as the 26th man, would provide the Yankees outfield defense and game-changing speed, but after several extended trials in the bigs, it appears his bat doesn't translate.

That said ... after sticking with him all these years, are they really going to lose him for nothing? The possible wild card here, of course, is both Florial and Rafael Ortega being brought north, with Kiner-Falefa sent packing in a "blockbuster" preseason trade.

Ortega, despite two home runs during camp, hasn't really blown anyone away, either; he's got only four hits. If one has to go, expect it to the be the player with less familiarity. Hopefully, the Yankees find a way to keep both, while somehow maneuvering Willie Calhoun to Triple-A.

First Three off Yankees Roster: Greg Weissert, RHP

If Krook and Cordero are joining Albert Abreu in our latest projection, it stands to reason that Greg Weissert would be the last pitcher squeezed off the bubble and onto the Triple-A roster. And that's fine! Because anyone who knows anything knows that Weissert will eventually make his way back to the bigs, and gets the honor of likely being the most valuable arm on the Scranton roster, especially with so many depth starters shucked off in trades last year.

Weissert's slider doesn't look like any other pitch; it's a one-in-a-million sweeper. Once he gets his big-league feet entirely wet, he'll be able to look more like the guy who blew away 70 Triple-A bats in 48 innings, rather than the guy who couldn't get in rhythm last fall and ended up with a few Bad Egg outings and a 5.56 ERA. He won't be down for long.

First Three off Yankees Roster: Deivi Garcia, RHP

From the base of the Christmas Tree with the water and wood chips to somewhere on the top-tier quadrant of pine needles, Deivi Garcia has done a remarkable job proving to top brass that he can still be an ornament this spring. Following 9.1 spring innings, 10 Ks, a 1.93 ERA, and elevated fastball velocity, Garcia looked much closer to a top prospect than a bust. If you'd cryogenically frozen yourself after the 2020 season, you never would've known this was the same guy who tried to reshape his breaking ball and ended up with 6.85 and 6.89 ERAs back-to-back in the minors.

Garcia will likely be one of the first few names up on the Shuttle this year after being the likeliest 40-man roster cut of all at the end of last season. That matters.