Inside The Pinstripes

One Reason Why Jay Bruce Might Not Make the Yankees' Opening Day Roster

Veteran outfielder Jay Bruce has played well as a non-roster invitee at spring training. Here's why Bruce may not make the New York Yankees opening day roster

Max Goodman

TAMPA — There's no question that Jay Bruce has put himself in the best possible position to make the Yankees' Opening Day roster this spring.

He's shown that he's healthy, demonstrating his ability to play both corner outfield positions along with first base. We already knew what he can do at the plate offensively, but the results early on in exhibition games certainly didn't hurt either. 

There's still one reason, however, why Bruce could be the odd man out when manager Aaron Boone makes his roster cuts in the next few days.

It's clear at this point that New York still needs to make a decision regarding one (maybe two) spots on the bench. Kyle Higashioka will backup Gary Sánchez and the Yankees didn't re-sign Brett Gardner for him to be designated for assignment.

From there, odds are Tyler Wade gets the nod for his versatility on defense and speed on the base paths. Although he's struggled at the plate throughout his career, Wade's ability to play shortstop is key even if third baseball Gio Urshela proved this spring that he can fill in at that position in a pinch.

That leaves the Yankees with Mike Tauchman and Jay Bruce for one final spot. You can throw Derek Dietrich's name in there too, but he seems to be lower on the totem pole compared to that duo.

We've all walked through the decision over the last few weeks. Tauchman is out of minor-league options, but regressed last year after a strong performance in 2019. Bruce would provide a veteran presence in the clubhouse with more power from the left side of the plate, but his opt-out date (March 25) is right around the corner. 

One factor that hasn't been discussed as much this spring, however, is Bruce's inability to play center field. 

Think about it. What happens if Aaron Hicks or Gardner happens to get hurt at some point early on? New York would have no other third option to step up and serve as the backup center fielder with Tauchman off the roster.

Tauchman has nothing to prove on defense. On Monday, Boone called the 30-year-old an "elite outfielder at three different spots." That's not to say Bruce isn't reliable in the outfield—he's made a couple spectacular plays there this spring—but he hasn't played center field since he was a rookie back in 2008.

All of New York's outfielders are healthy as of now with just about one week to go until the regular season. Maybe this is the year that New York's lineup is able to stay healthy and a third-string option isn't needed. As soon as that depth takes a hit, however, this team would be in a tough spot with Bruce as their fifth outfielder. 

Would Boone be comfortable putting someone like Wade or Clint Frazier in center field? Possibly. That's not something they would be able to sustain for weeks at a time, though. Wade and Frazier have collectively played center field four times in their big-league careers.

Besides, putting Frazier, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton in the best position to find their rhythm, excel and stay healthy—rather than being forced to move them around or take away their valuable days off—should be a priority.

Asked on Monday if the injury history across this team plays a role in his ongoing roster decision, Boone confirmed that "it all matters." As he makes these calls in the next few days, attempting to manufacture the best roster construction for when these games really count, he'll have to decide if having a third outfielder that can play center field is something he needs. 

Again, this has nothing to do with Bruce's performance this spring, nor that of Tauchman. It's purely a question of positional flexibility and a security blanket in place of injury. 

This wouldn't be an issue either if Tauchman was available to start the season at the alternate site, biding his time until his services were needed with the big-league club. With no options, if you choose Bruce to start the year, that means Tauchman will need to be traded (there's almost no shot he would pass through waivers). 

You can call up another outfielder to fill in once they need that depth in center, but by then Tauchman would be donning another uniform. With several seasons of team control remaining, and proven upside, the organization might not want to say goodbye to him just yet. 

Unless there's a way to keep both Bruce and Tauchman when the calendar flips to April, all these factors need to (and will) be considered.

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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