After nearly four long months, Yankees baseball is back.
The Bronx Bombers make their spring training debut Friday afternoon in a Grapefruit League matchup versus the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida.
It’s the first game for the Yankees since they lost in five games to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 World Series.
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They return to their home base in Florida with a revamped roster — with the signings of outfielder Cody Bellinger, starting pitcher Max Fried and relief pitcher Devin Williams to revamp the roster after Juan Soto left for Queens to sign a 15-year, $765 million contract with the Mets this offseason.
Following the Dodgers and Cubs kicking spring training off Thursday in the Cactus League in Arizona, these two AL East franchises get the action underway for the Grapefruit League being the first of five games played Friday in MLB spring training with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 p.m.
Saturday marks the first time all 30 MLB teams will take the field this season, with the Yankees facing the Blue Jays at 1:07 p.m.
Can the Bronx Bombers repeat as American League champions and become the first team since the Astros in 2021 and 2022 to make back-to-back World Series appearances?
Only time will tell over the next seven months, but one thing for certain is that the action starts now.
Here are starting lineups for the Yankees and Rays this afternoon:
Tampa Bay Rays
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Yankees, Rays announce starting lineups for spring training opener
