The Yankees Opening Day roster (as we know it today)

We still don't know the exact lineup, or which candidate is going to be the fifth starter, or who's going to take the final spot in the bullpen, or whether Andrew Miller will actually be allowed to play.

But we do know 24 of the players expected to head north and be introduced at Yankee Stadium on Opening Day. It's a group that mixes some predictable choices (Masahiro Tanaka as the no. 1 starter, Jacoby Ellsbury as the leadoff hitter) with some definite surprises (Ronald Torreyes on the bench, Luis Cessa in the pen, CC Sabathia's status still up in the air).

Here's a look at the Opening Day roster as we know it today:

LINEUP

1. Jacoby Ellsbury CF
2. Brett Gardner LF
3. Alex Rodriguez DH
4. Mark Teixeira 1B
5. Brian McCann C
6. Carlos Beltran RF
7. Chase Headley 3B
8. Starlin Castro 2B
9. Didi Gregorius SS

Chances are, this won't be the lineup on Opening Day -- Aaron Hicks will surely start against the lefty Dallas Keuchel -- but these do seem to be the lineup regulars heading into the regular season. The exact batting order is still to be determined, but this is the order Joe Girardi used in the only game this spring in which all nine projected regulars were in the starting lineup. Wouldn't be shocking to see a few adjustments, but also wouldn't be surprising to see this exact order.

It will be interesting to watch Casto's place in the order throughout the season. This spring, he was clearly the Yankees best all-around hitter, but he's going to open the season near the bottom because he's coming off a brutal year (worse overall numbers than Headley last season). If Castro hits, he could certainly move his way up. If Ellsbury and Gardner don't hit -- after seeing them struggle through the second half of last season -- they could eventually move down in the order.

BENCH

• Aaron Hicks OF
• Dustin Ackley 1B/2B
• Ronald Torreyes UT
• Austin Romine C

A year ago, Romine was designated for assignment and went unclaimed through waivers. He was dismissed and buried in the organization. Within the past year, Torreyes has passed through five organizations, being repeatedly traded, sold or claimed off waivers. Each one came into camp as a candidate -- but certainly not a favorite -- for a bench role. They won jobs by outplaying the alternatives. Torreyes can play second, third and shortstop. Romine will presumably get some start against left-handed pitchers.

The other two bench spots have been basically set since camp opened. The only way Hicks and Ackley weren't making the roster was if they were hurt. Otherwise, it's hard to imagine a performance bad enough for the Yankees to cut them loose. It was a non-issue, as each guy hit really well this spring.

ROTATION

1. Masahiro Tanaka 
2. Michael Pineda
3. Nathan Eovaldi
4. Luis Severino
5. CC Sabathia / Ivan Nova

The Yankees have not announced a fifth starter, but we know both Sabathia and Nova will make the team. The middle four spots in the rotation have been more or less set for quite a while, but it was only in the last week that the Yankees settled on Tanaka as the Opening Day starter. They will announce in the next couple of days who exactly will take the fifth spot.

Expectation is that Sabathia will get an opportunity work as a starter, but the longer the Yankees wait to make a decision, the more it seems they're seriously considering Nova. Sabathia pitched better in the final two months of last season, but Nova has pitched better this spring. Whoever gets that fifth rotation spot might not have a long leash -- Girardi has stressed that this assignment is subject to change during the year -- but the Yankees are going to have to make that choice sooner than later. Whoever is going into the rotation is going to want to pitch some sort of simulated game Sunday or Monday to stay on schedule.

BULLPEN

• Andrew Miller (probably)
• Dellin Betances
• Chasen Shreve
• Johnny Barbato
• Luis Cessa
• Ivan Nova / CC Sabathia
• Open spot

The surprise here is that none of the shuttle relievers from last season did enough to make the Opening Day roster. Heading into camp, it seemed inevitable Brandon Pinder or Nick Rumbelow or James Pazos or someone else from that familiar group of relievers would make the team, but each one was optioned to Triple-A while new guys Barbato and Cessa impressed enough to win roster spots.

One lingering question is the status of Miller, who has vowed to be available. The other lingering question is who replaces Bryan Mitchell, who made the roster before breaking his toe while covering first base on Wednesday. The only other reliever who hasn't been sent down is Kirby Yates, who's been terrific, but the Yankees could still bring someone back from minor league camp, or they could sign someone who was let go from another camp.