Yankees head into season with high hopes — and high pressure

MESA, Ariz. — The time on the baseball calendar when the Yankees are truly judged is still seven months away.

But under mounting pressure and expectations with another season gone by without a trip to the Canyon of Heroes, the Yankees will once again take what they hope is their first step toward that Wednesday with Opening Day against the Giants.

Entering the franchise’s 17th season since it last won a championship, the Yankees feel as good about this roster — and the depth behind it, especially with significant pieces nearing returns from the injured list — as they have in years.

Of course, Aaron Boone felt that way about the group he took into the postseason last year and that October run only made it to Game 4 of the ALDS, when they took a final punch from the Blue Jays.

Now they begin again, searching for a different ending, with 162 games to play to buy their ticket back to the dance.

“October is a long way away,” Boone said Tuesday morning at Sloan Park before the Yankees wrapped up their spring schedule against the Cubs. “Obviously, we want to get there and play in it and be the last team, but there’s just so many things you got to go through as a team to give yourself a chance to be in that position. 

“It’s San Francisco Giants right now and opening on the West Coast and trying to get off to a good start in the overreaction week of the season, whether we start off good, bad [or] indifferent.”

There is pressure on Boone, entering his ninth season on the job, to finally have something to show for all the winning the Yankees have done in the regular season under his watch.

A smiling Aaron Boone looks on during the Yankees’ 8-3 win over the Cubs in their spring training finale on March 24, 2026. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

There is pressure on Aaron Judge, the back-to-back AL MVP who has accomplished just about everything in this game besides capturing the one thing that defines the Yankees’ greats: championships.

And there is pressure on Brian Cashman, entering his 29th season as general manager (and again the final year of his contract), to concoct the right mix of talent to add another World Series title to his resume. 

There is little they can do about those legacies right now. But at least entering the regular season, the Yankees have put themselves in a strong position to take another swing.

“Look, I caution that it’s only camp, but we’ve had a hell of a camp,” Boone said. “We’ve had a lot of the answers we were hoping to get, knock on wood a lot of really good health and a lot of guys that are on their way back, trending in a really good direction with their rehab. I feel like the young players that are going to be future cores of this, maybe sooner rather than later, really showed well. And I feel like we’re going to have competition brewing for opportunities throughout the year because of our depth right now. 

“But that’s camp, nobody cares about camp 10 days from now into the season and rolling. It’s about the 162 now and we’re excited to get after it.”

One of the ultimate wild cards that could change the fortunes of the Yankees’ season — and alter the run-it-back narrative that followed them throughout the offseason — took the mound again Tuesday at Sloan Park, taking the next step toward a potential May return.

Aaron Judge is all smiles during the Yankees spring training loss to the Cubs on March 23, 2026. AP

Gerrit Cole, after that 26-pitch outing, was asked about his club entering the season and immediately reached for a bat in the bag next to him so he could knock on the wooden barrel.

“Remarkably healthy spring,” said Cole, who has looked sharp in his comeback from Tommy John surgery. “That’s really encouraging. I think the balance of the roster is good. I liked it last year. The depth of the roster is good, especially starting pitching, especially position player depth. I’m sure some of the length guys, the bridge guys bolstering the bullpen at some point. All-around looks really promising. 

“At the same time, every year, it’s so early, whatever’s on paper, you put yourself in a good position to have championship aspirations. That’s the blessing of playing for the Yankees, but at the end of the day, you got to play. You got to execute. So we’ll see where it takes us. But as far as what we can do right now, everybody’s healthy, everybody’s feeling good, and that’s a great place to start.”