Jordan Montgomery Shaky On Tuesday

New York Yankees starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery pitched poorly against the Orioles on Tuesday, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over two innings of work. Montgomery and manager Aaron Boone both stressed that the pitcher is working to improve his fastball command during spring training, a focus that could help Montgomery improve […]

Aaron Hicks To Bat Third

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks will primarily bat third in the team's lineup this season, according to manager Aaron Boone. That lineup likely has Hicks hitting behind two strong on-base hitters in DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Judge and in front of slugger Giancarlo Stanton, giving Hicks one of the most desirable lineup spots in […]

Jameson Taillon Efficient On Monday

New York Yankees starting pitcher Jameson Taillon looked good on Monday, tossing a clean seven-pitch inning with one strikeout. Monday was Taillon's first game action since he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019, and he showed few signs of rust with his impressive performance. Taillon still has to work his changeup back into his pitch […]

Gary Sanchez Homers On Monday

New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez had an excellent game on Monday, crushing a 429-foot home run in his only plate appearance while receiving positive feedback on his defense from starting pitcher Gerrit Cole. An ugly 36% strikeout rate fueled a down year for Sanchez in 2020, and his poor offensive production combined with his […]

Gerrit Cole Struggles On Monday

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole labored through a 28-pitch inning during which he allowed one run on three hits with no strikeouts on Monday. Monday's performance shouldn't change the way fantasy managers value Cole heading into 2021; he showed no signs of injury (not that any were reported) and hit 99.5 mph on […]

Michael King Struggles In First Spring Start

New York Yankees starting pitcher Michael King pitched poorly in his first spring training start of the year on Sunday, allowing three runs over two innings with one strikeout. Fantasy managers shouldn't read much into one start, but every performance matters for King as he fights an uphill battle for a job in the team's […]

Mike Tauchman Had A Shoulder Injury Last Season

New York Yankees outfielder Mike Tauchman dealt with shoulder issues for much of last season. Tauchman struggled in 2020 with a paltry .648 OPS over 43 games, and diminished power (23.4% hard-hit rate, .334 xwOBAcon) was a significant driver of his poor overall performance. It's certainly possible that Tauchman's shoulder issues were the root cause […]

Luke Voit Looking To Walk More In 2021

New York Yankees first baseman Luke Voit said that he's focusing on increasing his walk rate for the 2021 season on Thursday. Voit's 7.3% walk rate from last season was one of the only (relative) holes in his game as he led the league in home runs and posted a .948 OPS, and his suppressed […]

Estevan Florial Not At Spring Training Yet

New York Yankees outfielder Estevan Florial has yet to join the team in Tampa Bay as he deals with visa issues, according to manager Aaron Boone. One of the team's top prospects, Florial made his MLB debut in 2020 but played in only one game. Still an exciting young outfielder, Florial boasts an impressive combination […]

Giancarlo Stanton Could Play Outfield

New York Yankees outfielder and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton might spend some time in the outfield in 2021, according to manager Aaron Boone. Boone has previously stated his preference for the oft-injured Stanton to spend most of his time as the DH, so it's interesting to hear Boone mention Stanton's added flexibility for 2021. Fantasy managers […]

Gerrit Cole Will Start On Opening Day

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole was confirmed as the team's Opening Day starter by manager Aaron Boone on Monday. The unquestioned ace in the Yankees rotation, it should come as no surprise that Cole will start for the team's first game of the 2021 season. Despite struggling to limit home runs last season, […]

Gio Urshela On Pace To Be Game-Ready In One Week

New York Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela (elbow) is expected to be healthy enough for game action as soon as Feb. 28, according to manager Aaron Boone. Urshela underwent surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow in December, but he's recovered well and is likely to be in the team's Opening Day lineup […]

Clarke Schmidt Has An Elbow Injury

New York Yankees starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt (elbow) will be sidelined for the next three to four weeks with an elbow strain, according to manager Aaron Boone. Schmidt reportedly won't require Tommy John surgery, but it's discouraging to see one of the team's top prospects suffer an elbow injury after already undergoing Tommy John surgery […]

Michael King Adding A Third Pitch To His Arsenal

New York Yankees pitcher Michael King has reportedly spent the offseason working to add a third pitch to his arsenal. King struggled in 26.2 innings last season with a 7.76 ERA and 5.14 FIP, but he'll compete for a job in the starting rotation during spring training. It's not exactly clear what King considers to […]

Prioritizing Steals in Drafts - Hoard or Punt?

Steals are projected to be the hardest stat to rack up in fantasy baseball in 2021, and ATC projects only 24 hitters to eclipse the 20 stolen base mark this season. As a result, hitters who can produce on the basepaths have earned expensive ADPs, with two-thirds of the 24 hitters projected to steal at […]

Yankees Re-Sign Brett Gardner

New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner signed what is likely to be a one-year contract with the team on Friday. Gardner had played with the Yankees for his entire 13-year MLB career coming into 2021 and had always expressed a desire to return to the club for his 14th season, but the team's payroll and […]

Gio Urshela Close To Full Health

New York Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela (elbow) is close to full strength, according to manager Aaron Boone. Urshela has made encouraging progress after undergoing offseason surgery to remove a bone spur from his elbow, and fantasy managers should expect him to be ready for Opening Day (or extremely close to it) at this point. […]

Luis Severino Close To Throwing On Mound

New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino (elbow) has been playing catch and is expected to throw off of a mound within the next few weeks. Severino missed the entire 2020 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in February, and the 26-year-old appears to be on track for his original target return date sometime in […]

Yankees Interested In Signing Brett Gardner

Free-agent outfielder Brett Garnder still has a shot at returning to the Yankees in 2021, and the team reportedly continues to express interest in the 37-year-old. Gardner's fantasy value isn't great if he rejoins the Yankees as he'd be the team's fourth outfielder with the possibility of getting overtaken on the depth chart by Mike […]

Kyle Higashioka Won’t Be Gerrit Cole’s Personal Catcher In 2021

New York Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka won't start the season as starting pitcher Gerrit Cole's personal catcher in 2021, according to manager Aaron Boone. Catcher Gary Sanchez's all-around struggles last season, combined with Cole's improved performance with Higashioka behind the plate (1.00 ERA with Higashioka, 3.91 ERA with Sanchez), has fueled speculation that Higashioka would primarily […]

Clint Frazier Will Start In 2021

New York Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier was named the team's starting left fielder by manager Aaron Boone on Wednesday. That announcement should come as no surprise after Frazier posted a .905 OPS in 39 games last season, but the 26-year-old's playing time has been unusually inconsistent so far in his MLB career and it's encouraging […]

Brett Gardner’s Future With The Yankees Uncertain

Free-agent outfielder Brett Gardner faces an uphill battle if he wants to return to the Yankees in 2021, and manager Aaron Boone was noncommittal about Gardner's chances of rejoining the team this season in a press conference on Wednesday. One of the few lefties in an otherwise righty-dominated Yankee lineup over the past couple of […]

Yankees Sign Robinson Chirinos

Free-agent catcher Robinson Chirinos signed a minor-league contract with the New York Yankees on Monday, adding some uncertainty to the team's catching situation. Starting pitcher Gerrit Cole pitched well with Chirinos behind the plate when the two were teammates in 2019 with the Astros, and there's some speculation that Cole and Chirinos might be paired […]

Yankees Sign Jay Bruce

New York Yankees outfielder Jay Bruce signed a minor-league contract with the team on Saturday. Bruce has a shot to make the team's Opening Day roster given its general lack of left-handed hitters, and his signing makes it even less likely that outfielder Brett Gardner (who has reportedly yet to receive an offer from the […]

Luke Voit Fully Healthy

New York Yankees first baseman Luke Voit (foot) is fully healthy and ready to participate in all baseball activities. There was never any reported doubt that Voit would be ready to go for Opening Day after suffering from plantar fasciitis during the 2020 season, but injuries can be tricky and it's good to see Voit […]

Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton Trying New Workout Programs

New York Yankees outfielders Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have both made significant changes to their offseason workout programs with a focus on staying healthy for the duration of the 2021 season. Judge (91 days) and Stanton (199 days) have spent a combined 290 days on the injured list over the past two seasons, and […]

Relief Pitchers Set To Bust In 2021

Projecting relievers is notoriously tricky, and that’s especially true after an irregular 2020 season. As is prone to happen in small samples of performance, otherwise strong relievers sometimes have down seasons that are not entirely in their control. Still, some relievers are more likely to bust than others, and fantasy managers would do well to […]

Gio Urshela Throwing, Hitting, Fielding

New York Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela (elbow) has been hitting, throwing, and taking ground balls as he continues to recover from offseason elbow surgery. A bone spur nagged Urshela during part of the 2020 season, and the 29-year-old underwent surgery in early December to remove the bone spur from his elbow. Urshela is expected […]

Cardinals Trade For Nolan Arenado

Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado was traded to the Cardinals on Friday for a likely package of Austin Gomber, Luken Baker and Jhon Torres. One of the league's premier third basemen, Arenado will take his career .890 OPS to an offense that Fangraphs projected to score a meager 4.44 runs per game in 2021 before […]

Masahiro Tanaka Signs With The Rakuten Golden Eagles

Free-agent starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka signed a one-year contract with the Rakuten Golden Eagles on Thursday after his market failed to materialize in the ice-cold MLB offseason. Tanaka enjoyed a successful seven-year stint with the Yankees, leaving the team with a solid 3.74 ERA and several strong playoff performances. With COVID-19 hopefully a non-issue in […]