Yankees invite 26 to Spring Training

01/15/2008 11:05 AM ET
Yankees invite 26 to Spring Training
Non-roster players include top prospects Horne, Tabata
By Bryan Hoch / MLB.com


NEW YORK -- The Yankees announced on Tuesday that they have invited 26 non-roster players to Spring Training in Tampa, Fla., bringing the total number of players scheduled to report to 66.

Two on the list have previously worn pinstripes in New York and will be trying to make the Yankees' Opening Day roster: infielder Nick Green and right-hander Darrell Rasner.

Green, 29, saw September action with the Mariners last season after batting .240 with two home runs and four RBIs with New York in 2006. Rasner, 27, made the Yankees' Opening Day roster and went 1-3 with a 4.01 ERA over two stints with the Yankees. His season was interrupted by a fractured right index finger on May 19.

The Yankees' invitee list also features seven players who have previously appeared in Major League competition, including outfielder Jason Lane, who slugged a career-high 26 home runs for the Houston Astros in 2005.

Signed to a Minor League contract, the 31-year-old Lane is a career .241 hitter in 497 games with the Astros and Padres. The Yankees envision Lane competing for their first-base position, along with Jason Giambi, Wilson Betemit and Shelley Duncan.

Other non-roster invitees with big league experience include infielder Bernie Castro, right-hander Daniel Giese, left-hander Heath Phillips, infielder Cody Ransom, right-hander Scott Strickland and left-hander Billy Traber.

The Yankees also invited the following players: right-handers Alan Horne, Steven Jackson, Daniel McCutchen and Mark Melancon; catchers Kyle Anson, Jason Brown, Jesus Montero, P.J. Pilittere and Austin Romine; infielders Eric Duncan and Marcos Vechionacci; and outfielders Brett Gardner, Justin Christian, Colin Curtis, Austin Jackson, Greg Porter and Jose Tabata.

The Yankees' list of non-roster invitees includes nine pitchers, five catchers, five infielders and seven outfielders. Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Legends Field on Feb. 14, the first Spring Training under new manager Joe Girardi.

Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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