11:53 am: The Yankees officially selected Bruce for the list of 40 players. Right-handed Clarke Schmidt was placed on the 60-day injured list (elbow) in a corresponding movement. In addition, guests who are not on the list Robinson Chirinos and Derek Dietrich were released from their contracts with the minor leagues. Both are now free agents.
11:14 am: The Yankees are planning to select the outsider / first base contract Jay Bruce, Jack Curry reports from the YES network (Twitter link) The veteran hitter was at the camp as a non-squad guest. New York must also maintain Mike Tauchman, by Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (via Twitter) At the very least, the Yankees do not plan to expose Tauchman out of options to waivers, says Andy Martino of SNY (Twitter link), although an exchange may still be a possibility.
Expected first baseman Luke Voit the year will start on the injured list, ESPN Marly Rivera was the first to report. Yankees coach Aaron Boone confirmed that Voit has suffered a meniscus tear in his knee and will undergo surgery. He will no longer have baseball activities for the next three weeks (via Newsday’s Erik Boland) New York expects Voit to return “considerably earlier thanJune, Boone said (via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com), but it seems possible that the current home run champion will be out of action in May. In the meantime, Bruce will be the first baseman in New York, retransmits Hoch.
The Yankees will have to officially add Bruce to the 40-player roster before Opening Day. The 33-year-old had a lot of strength, but has struggled to reach the base in recent years, combining a .212 / .259 / .510 line with 32 home runs in 436 plate performances since the beginning of 2019. it would be a sharp drop for Voit, who collected a .277 / .338 / .610 clip last year.
Bruce will at least offer a left-handed baton to help balance a heavy right-wing line. Tauchman also offers a left-handed baton off the bench, and he is able to play anywhere on the field outside. It will be limited to the booking service behind Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Clint Frazier and Brett Gardner, assuming it is not negotiated. The 30-year-old sparked great interest in the league.