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New York Yankees closer Clay Holmes hung on for an Opening Day save in Thursday's 5-4 come-from-behind win over the Houston Astros, allowing three hits in the ninth inning. It certainly wasn't easy, as Holmes gave up a leadoff knock to Mauricio Dubon before Yordan Alvarez reached on an infield single. Kyle Tucker then lined one to right field, but Dubon was just gunned down by Juan Soto while trying to score the tying run on a close play that required a review. Holmes got Alex Bregman to ground out to end the game, and fantasy managers were able to breathe a sigh of relief. The 31-year-old right-hander was an All-Star in 2023 during his first year as a full-time closer in the Bronx, and he's set to rack up plenty of save opportunities on the contending Pinstripes once again. Without much competition for ninth-inning work at the moment, Holmes is a good bet to post north of 20 saves in 2024.
The New York Yankees officially placed right-hander Gerrit Cole (elbow) on the 60-day injured list on Thursday with right-elbow inflammation. Cole has avoided structural damage in his right elbow, but he's still expected to miss at least one to two months. It remains to be seen if last year's American League Cy Young winner will be able to start a throwing program in a couple of weeks as he slowly begins to build his arm back up. The 33-year-old needs to be stashed in an IL spot in all fantasy leagues because he's one of the very best arms in all of baseball when he's healthy, but there's really no telling how much he'll pitch in 2024 or how effective he'll be if he does. And of course the Yankees aren't going to rush their ace back too soon.
New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres is set to bat leadoff against the Houston Astros on Thursday. Yankees manager Aaron Boone made it official that Torres will take the first at-bat of the regular season for New York. It won't be an easy task against left-hander Framber Valdez. Boone said that Juan Soto is batting second and Aaron Judge hitting third. The move to the leadoff spot should give Torres a boost in fantasy value until DJ LeMahieu (foot) returns to the lineup.
The New York Yankees acquired infielder Jon Berti from the Miami Marlins on Wednesday, according to a source. It's unknown what the Marlins will receive in return. The Yankees are going to be without both DJ LeMahieu (foot) and Oswald Peraza (shoulder) for the start of the 2024 regular season, so the 34-year-old Berti will give the Yanks more infield depth until those two are able to return. Berti can also play in the outfield, but most of his playing time early in the season figures to come at third base for the Bombers. Berti stole a league-high 41 bags in 102 games for the Marlins in 2022 but came back down to Earth in that category last year with only 16 swipes, but he did manage to hit .294 (114-for-388) in 133 contests. He won't supply much power but his fantasy stock in AL-only leagues is now on the rise for his speed.
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that catcher Ben Rortvedt and outfielder Jahmai Jones remain in the mix for Opening Day roster spots. Austin Wells has already made the team, but the Yankees could carry Rortvedt as their third catcher to begin the season. Jose Trevino is the club's other backstop. The 26-year-old Rortvedt is out of minor-league options, so the Yankees may not want to risk losing him to another club. He hit just .118/.241/.221 with two homers in 32 games for the Yanks in 2023 and is unlikely to see much playing time in 2024 for the Bombers. Jones, 26, has looked overmatched in 36 big-league games over three seasons after he was a second-round pick by the Angels in 2015. However, he's intrigued the Yankees as a bench option this spring by hitting .286 with a home run, four RBI and a steal in 14 Grapefruit League games.