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TAMPA — Add one more quirk to a Yankees rotation that has become quirky: Without their No. 1 starter, their No. 2 starter likely will not shift ahead in the order.
Max Fried, signed to a $218 million deal this offseason, probably will not be the Yankees’ Opening Day starter because “it doesn’t really line up for him to do that,” manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday.
Fried is scheduled to start Thursday and likely will start once more in the Grapefruit League, positioned to get the ball for Game 2 of the season on March 29 in The Bronx against the Brewers.
Boone would not divulge the identity of his Opening Day starter — he expects to make the announcement soon — but the process of elimination hints that Carlos Rodón and Marcus Stroman likely would be candidates.
Clarke Schmidt, who did not make his spring debut until Tuesday because of a back issue, is a bit behind and has been lined up to start the sixth game of the season.
It is possible that fifth-starter candidates Carlos Carrasco (who started Sunday) or Will Warren (Monday) could have their throwing days slightly tinkered to be a bit less stretched out but available for the opener, though it would be a surprise to begin the season with a back-end arm.
Rodón, who has made two spring starts, most recently threw a live batting practice Sunday. Stroman started Friday, and if he throws every fifth day — not nearly a guarantee because of extra rest days in the spring — he would be aligned for Game 1.
Boone said he would not hesitate to use Rodón and Fried, two lefties, on consecutive days.
“They’re very different in how they go about it,” Boone said from Steinbrenner Field, where the Yankees lost to the Orioles 6-2 on a split-squad day. “… Maybe if they were very similar, I’d be more inclined to split them up. But there’s a good chance you could see them back to back.”
In a bit of a surprise, the Yankees optioned outfielder/DH Everson Pereira to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Pereira had been the leading in-house candidate to become the righty side of a DH platoon. With Giancarlo Stanton injured, the Yankees are short on righty bats to get looks at the spot.
They have been better stocked with lefties, where non-roster invitee Dominic Smith, J.C. Escarra and Ben Rice are competing.
Perhaps the Yankees will trust a lefty against opposing lefties.
They also could rotate the likes of Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt at the spot.
Pereira, a 23-year-old prospect, has had a strong spring at the plate (7-for-20 with a pair of home runs) but has yet to play the field as he recovers from Tommy John surgery in June.
Also cut from camp was top prospect Spencer Jones, who has gone 6-for-22 (.273) with two homers and a steal in the Grapefruit League.
In his first game of the exhibition season, Schmidt allowed three runs (all on a three-run home run from Ryan Mountcastle) on four hits in 1 ²/₃ innings.
The results do not matter, and Schmidt said the dinger came off a sinker that he has been toying with. He aimed the pitch down the middle and it, indeed, went down the middle.
Schmidt came away encouraged by the 38-pitch effort.
“Felt really good, happy with the stuff,” he said.
