The Yankees opened the 2018 season on March 29 in Toronto with lofty expectations. For the most part, they have lived up to those — though not without significant changes along the way. Five different players who didn’t start the year in The Bronx are expected to make significant contributions when the Yankees take the field Wednesday night against the A’s.

No player had a bigger impact on the offense in the final month of the season than the first baseman, who began the season with Triple-A Memphis in the Cardinals organization. Voit didn’t hit a homer for Memphis until May 7 and had two brief stints in the majors with St. Louis in June before the Yankees acquired him before the trade deadline — along with international signing pool money — in exchange for lefty reliever Chasen Shreve and righty Giovanny Gallegos. Voit went on to hit 14 homers in 39 games for the Yankees, replacing Greg Bird at first base and making the Opening Day starter at that position — Tyler Austin — expendable.

Torres might have been the starting second baseman to begin the season had it not been for the torn UCL that cost him much of 2017. But after a miserable beginning to spring training, Torres was optioned to Triple-A, and he began this season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Neil Walker, Tyler Wade and Ronald Torreyes split time at second before Torres was brought up on April 22, and he quickly emerged as one of the top rookies in the American League.

Unlike Torres, Andujar had a strong spring, but found himself on the bench during the season’s opening series in Toronto, with offseason acquisition Brandon Drury at third base. Drury played in just seven games before he was forced from the lineup by migraines and blurry vision. That was all the opening Andujar needed, and by the time Drury returned from a minor league rehab stint, his spot had been taken by Andujar. Drury was soon traded to the Blue Jays as part of the package that landed J.A. Happ.

If Aaron Judge hadn’t been drilled with a pitch on the right wrist by Kansas City’s Jakob Junis, McCutchen likely wouldn’t have made it to the Yankees. But after Judge’s chip fracture took longer than the Yankees expected to heal, they finally landed McCutchen from the Giants on Aug. 31, the last day a player could be added and still be eligible for the postseason. McCutchen got off to a sluggish start with the Yankees, but had a 1.003 OPS in his last 14 games. After Judge returned to the lineup, McCutchen frequently forced Brett Gardner to the bench.

Recovering from December surgery on his Achilles, Britton didn’t appear in a game until a minor league rehab appearance on May 30. And he was still trying to regain his form with the historically bad Orioles when the Yankees landed him in July for three pitching prospects. He struggled with his command for much of the season, but in September, the lefty allowed just seven base runners in 9 ²/₃ innings, while striking out nine. And he also filled in well as closer while Aroldis Chapman dealt with left knee tendinitis.