Tigers vs Yankees Pick: NY’s Injuries Heighten Spring Training Importance (Mar 10)

• The Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees meet in Tampa
• Both teams are 7-7 this spring and hope to contend for the MLB postseason in 2025
• The Yankees are confronted with stars Giancarlo Stanton and Gerrit Cole missing significant time

The Tigers and Yankees meet at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. Detroit starts veteran righty Kenta Maeda. Maeda pitched well in his last start and can also be used as a long reliever. New York counters with young righty Will Warren. With ace Gerrit Cole’s potentially severe elbow injury, Warren is taking on increasing importance.

Maeda Vies for a Spot in the Tigers’ Rotation

Although Maeda is not listed on the Tigers’ starting pitching depth chart, a versatile arm like him could be used in multiple roles. The veteran has gotten better with more innings this spring. In 8.2 innings, he has surrendered 6 hits and 3 runs, striking out 14.

Spencer Torkelson is batting .304 at the plate with 3 homers in 24 plate appearances. Jahmai Jones is at .304 with 2 homers. There are positive results with free agent disaster Javier Baéz. Baéz is batting .286 in 16 plate appearances with a home run. Surprisingly, veteran journeyman catcher Tomás Nido is hitting .333 with 2 homers in 18 at-bats. Riley Greene is batting .412.

Injury Concerns Loom Over Yankees

Yankees’ spring training games are taking a backseat to medical reports. They received worrisome, but not unexpected, news on slugger Giancarlo Stanton. He has issues with both elbows and if PRP injections do not help, surgery is possible. If he and the club take that route, he would miss the entire season.

At this point, the Yankees are used to being without Stanton and, bluntly, he’s not that good anymore anyway.

A bigger problem is Gerrit Cole. He went for an MRI on his ailing right elbow and was set for a second opinion. General Manager Brian Cashman said he is expecting the worst. Although New York survived without Cole for the first half of 2024 when he was also dealing with arm problems, the implication that this is a serious injury leaves them scrambling.

That places the focus on young pitchers like Warren. The 25-year-old struggled in his first big league action in 2024 posting a -1.2 bWAR and a 10.32 ERA in 22.2 innings. Still, Warren has been impressive this spring with a 1.13 ERA in 8 innings with 11 strikeouts.

At the plate, Cody Bellinger and Austin Wells have been on fire all spring. New York will need Jasson Dominguez to step up if they are without Stanton. He has been inconsistent this spring.

Tigers vs Yankees Pick: Detroit Presents a Challenge for Warren

The Tigers have been hitting well. Despite Warren’s solid spring, Maeda has been pitching well lately and there is a chance Warren will be pressing knowing he has a chance to be a key contributor to the Yankees this season. Underdog Detroit should take the win.