The Yankees’ Opening Day roster is set, and Oswald Peraza has made the cut, at least for now.
Peraza and non-roster invite Pablo Reyes secured the final two bench spots while Yoendrys Gomez and Brent Headrick rounded out the bullpen as the Yankees finalized their 26-man roster before opening the season on Thursday against the Brewers.
In Peraza and Reyes, the Yankees now have a pair of right-handed bats on their bench for a lineup that skews left-handed.
Reyes earned a spot with a strong camp offensively, in which he also showed his defensive versatility while bouncing around between third base, second base and the corner outfield spots.
Peraza, meanwhile, was out of minor league options and will now try to stick as a backup infielder with a slick glove but not much bat — at least not yet in his handful of big league opportunities.
The Yankees were searching for a right-handed bat late in camp – keeping tabs on players that were cut or opted out of minor league deals elsewhere – but have not yet scooped any up.
That said, they still could in the coming days, a la acquiring Jake Cousins after the season-opening series last season.
With the last two spots in the bullpen, Gomez and Headrick offer the Yankees length, built up to throw at least in the range of 30-40 pitches.
Gomez, who is also out of minor league options, had a strong camp with his velocity ticking up as he converted to a full-time relief role.
Headrick will be the Yankees’ third lefty in the bullpen, along with Tim Hill and the recently signed Ryan Yarbrough.
