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Yankees' Cashman On WFAN: Announcements On No. 4 Pitcher, Right Fielder Coming Very Soon

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Yankees will be announcing some important decisions about their rotation and outfield very soon, general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday.

Cashman told WFAN's Mike Francesa that the team has chosen its No. 4 starting pitcher as well as its starting right fielder. The GM, however, wasn't quite ready to name names.

MORE: Yankees Set To Open Season With An Eye On Future Arrivals

"We've made some internal decisions on the fourth starter, but I won't say who that is yet because I'll let (manager) Joe (Girardi) do that when he's comfortable and tells all parties," Cashman said.

Cashman said the Yankees will take their time in choosing their fifth starter, who won't be needed until April 16. He did mention that Jordan Montgomery was in the running for the No. 5 job, which would exclude him as the fourth starter.

Montgomery, 24, who has no major-league experience, helped his case Wednesday, allowing just one run over five innings against the Blue Jays.

Luis Severino, Chad Green and Bryan Mitchell are also vying for rotation spots.

MORE: Girardi On WFAN

"I think what we're more than likely to do ... is let that competition continue with guys taking their turn in Triple-A, and when we need that start on the 16th, we'll do it," Cashman said.

Cashman added that Montgomery and Severino, if they don't crack the rotation, would be sent down to Triple-A as starters rather than being sent to the big-league bullpen.

Meanwhile, Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks have been battling for the right-field job. A decision should be announced Thursday.

"It's been a good race," Cashman said. "They've both played well. I think Hicks has played very well from start to finish, and I think Judge has played well, even more so to the end, even though statistically he got out of the gate kind of hot. But I think he's been swinging the bat much better of late, too. They both played really good defense. So it's been a good, healthy competition."

Judge is batting .345 with three home runs this spring, while Hicks is hitting .264 with three homers.

NOTES

• Cashman said Ronald Torreyes will start at shortstop while Didi Gregorius is out with a shoulder injury he sustained in the World Baseball Classic.

• The GM said first baseman Greg Bird has played so well that it could eat into the at-bats the team envisioned for Chris Carter. Carter, last year's co-home run champ in the National League, was brought in because the Yankees anticipated Greg Bird, who missed all of last season following shoulder surgery, would be rusty and need rest. But Bird, who is batting .429 with seven homers this spring and has been sharp against both righties and lefties, Cashman said.

• Of his outlook on the team as a whole, Cashman said: "I think it's an exciting team that I think is capable of a number of different things. We could be someone that actually pushes the entire envelope and winds up as a playoff team, or we could be a team that gets held back by the inexperience or the inefficiency of what the perennial-type performers who have been around a while can do. So it's every color in the rainbow. Hopefully we'll have the brighter colors, the performance we want."

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