Spring training keeps rolling on as we all get used to daily baseball back on our televisions. Today, the Yankees take the bus down to Bradenton to meet the sorta-trying Pittsburgh Pirates, who made a run at guys like Kyle Schwarber and Eugenio Suárez this offseason, but had to settle for their big coup being Ryan O’Hearn.
Ryan Yarbrough gets the start for the Yanks as he looks to get himself ready as the team’s next man up in the pitching rotation. Pitching injuries are inevitable, so it would not
be a surprise if Yarbrough were in the Opening Day rotation. He should be fine in that role if he replicates his 2025 production, which saw the soft-tossing lefty post a 4.36 ERA in 64 innings across 19 games and eight starts, but if he has to start more than those eight games he did in 2025, there’s something very wrong.
We’ll get to see one of the more exciting young arms in baseball for a few innings today, as Bubba Chandler gets the start for the Pirates after his up-and-down 31-inning stint in the bigs last season. He still has rookie eligibility, so the 23-year-old flamethrower will look to refine his location with his four-pitch mix to get more whiffs and strikeouts. Chandler’s command is very mature for his age, walking just four batters in the majors last season across those 31 innings.
Ben Rice will make his spring debut for the Yankees, leading off and DHing. Jasson Domínguez bats second in left field, followed by Ryan McMahon, Paul DeJong, and Spencer Jones. The bottom of the order is full of Triple-A depth, with Max Schuemann in right field, Seth Brown at first base, Zack Short at second base, and Paxton Henry behind the plate.
Oneil Cruz will lead off for the Pirates and will be joined by fellow regulars Nick Gonzales, Bryan Reynolds, Ryan O’Hearn, and the newly-signed Marcell Ozuna. One-time top prospect Joey Bart will catch for the Buccos, and they round out their lineup with former late first-round picks Davis Wendzel and Alika Williams.
How to watch
Location: LICOM Park — Bradenton, FL
First pitch: 1:05 pm ET
TV broadcast: SportsNet-PIT
Radio broadcast: 100.1 FM/KDKA-AM 1020 (PIT)
Online stream: Gotham Sports App
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