LAKELAND, Fla. -- With under a week to go in spring training, it appears 24 Yankees are locks to be on their Opening Day roster if outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, as expected, begins the season on the DL and nobody else gets hurt in the next week.
That would leave one job for a fourth bench player or an eighth reliever.
One of the top contenders is Ben Heller, a hard-throwing, tall righty who pitched well for the Yankees last September.
His candidacy took a hit Tuesday afternoon when the makings of a good relief outing didn't end well in an 8-3 Yankees loss to the Detroit Tigers.