The Yankees still have a chance to win the American League East and earn a bye in the playoffs, but with the club preparing for the start of its final three-game series of the regular season on Friday, the playoff picture had them hosting a Wild Card Series against the Red Sox.
The Yankees began the day with the same record as the Blue Jays atop the division, but Toronto holds the tiebreaker thanks to an 8-5 record in head-to-head-play. With the Bombers welcoming the Orioles to the Bronx and the Jays playing the Rays in Canada this weekend, divisional matchups will determine how the East shakes out.
“We need to try and win every game, and that’s our focus,” Aaron Boone said after the Yankees swept the White Sox on Thursday.
If the Yankees win one more game than Toronto this weekend, they’ll get some rest before the ALDS. But for now, here’s what their potential 26-man Wild Card roster could look like.
Starting Pitchers (3): Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Cam Schlittler
With Max Fried and Carlos Rodón set to start the Yankees’ first two playoff games, the team is hoping that the left-handers continue to shine. The duo has been excellent this season in the wake of Gerrit Cole’s spring training Tommy John surgery and a few other rotation injuries, combining for a 37-14 record and a 2.97 ERA over 65 starts and 390.2 innings.
“Those are big shoes to fill,” Rodón said of Cole on Thursday after wrapping up his third — and best — season as a Yankee.
If Cole were available, Rodón (18-9, 3.09 ERA) would probably be preparing for a potential do-or-die Game 3 start in the Wild Card Series. Instead, rookie right-hander Cam Schlittler would be scheduled to pitch on normal rest that day, though the Yankees will want to see how he fares in his final regular season start this Saturday.
“We’ll see how the next couple days unfold. He’s certainly in the mix for that,” Boone said of Schlittler. “But again, we’ll see how this 24, 48, 72 hours unfolds to determine that.”
Other candidates for Game 3 include Friday night starter Will Warren and Sunday starter Luis Gil, though Schlittler appears to have the upper hand. Keep in mind that probable pitchers can change this weekend and that the ALDS schedule would require a four-man rotation.
Relief Pitchers (9): David Bednar, Luke Weaver, Devin Williams, Fernando Cruz, Camilo Doval, Mark Leiter Jr., Will Warren Tim Hill, Ryan Yarbrough
Pitching coach Matt Blake said that the Yankees could roster their entire rotation for the playoffs, but Gil won’t be of much use in the Wild Card Series, which begins Tuesday, if he starts on Sunday. Gil has also been extremely erratic and missing strikeout stuff since returning from a spring training lat injury; the Yankees may want to avoid him altogether this October if they can.
However, Warren is part of the Wild Card pen in this projection. He could be especially useful against right-handed hitters, as they had a .651 OPS against him before his start on Friday.
“I just want to win,” Warren, who has only made one big league relief appearance, said when asked about possibly working in relief. “I’m confident wherever I end up.”
As for the Yankees’ actual relievers, they’ve been hard to trust this season. The group’s 4.43 overall ERA ranks 23rd, and the number has inflated to 4.97 – 26th in baseball – since a trade deadline makeover. Devin Williams — twice removed from the closer’s role — Luke Weaver, Camilo Doval and Mark Leiter Jr. have all struggled over extended stretches this season.
The good news is that David Bednar has brought sustained stability to the closer’s role, while Williams (8 games) and Weaver (5 games) both took scoreless streaks into Friday’s game. The trio combined for three blank frames on Thursday, leaving Boone confident in the backend of his bullpen.
“I feel like a lot of those guys are in a really good place right now,” the skipper said. “We feel capable that we can shut a game down.”
Catchers (2): Ben Rice, Austin Wells
The Yankees could carry a third catcher in J.C. Escarra, which is what they did earlier in the season when Ben Rice wasn’t receiving regularly. With Rice, who also plays first, and Austin Wells both expected to start when the Yankees face a right-handed pitcher this October, Escarra would provide flexibility should the opposition bring in a lefty reliever, thus prompting Boone to pinch-hit for Rice or, more likely, Wells, who both swing from the port side.
However, the Yankees have been just fine with two catchers in recent months. And while Boone hasn’t dismissed the possibility of adding a third catcher, he’s said that he would “feel comfortable” with two.
If the Yankees were to roster Escarra, it would likely come at the expense of outfielder Austin Slater.
Infielders (6): Paul Goldschmidt, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Anthony Volpe, Ryan McMahon, José Caballero, Amed Rosario
There’s not much intrigue here, as Anthony Volpe has performed well and seems to have reclaimed the starting shortstop role from José Caballero since coming back from a cortisone shot for his partially torn labrum. While Volpe went 0-for-4 in Thursday’s game, he entered Friday hitting .321 with a .795 OPS since his return to the starting lineup.
“Hopefully, he’s finding his rhythm,” Boone said.
The manager has also referred to Caballero as a “10th man” whose speed and versatility offers strategic value off the bench, though that’s not to say he won’t get any starts this postseason.
Also, don’t be surprised if Amed Rosario starts at third base in Game 1 of the Wild Card series if the Yankees’ face Boston’s left-handed ace, Garrett Crochet. While Ryan McMahon is the superior defender at third, Rosario crushes left-handed pitching and is 6-for-9 with a homer against Crochet in his career.
“He’s turned into kind of a lefty killer,” Boone said.
Outfielders (6): Aaron Judge, Trent Grisham, Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton, Jasson Domínguez, Austin Slater
The biggest question here is if Slater makes the cut. Like Rosario, he was acquired before the trade deadline because he has a strong track record against left-handed pitchers. However, Slater hasn’t performed well with the Yankees, going just 3-for-23 over his first 13 games while working around a hamstring injury.
Giancarlo Stanton, meanwhile, is back to being a DH. He returned to the outfield after a right flexor strain initially limited Aaron Judge to DH duties, but the Yankees’ captain has been throwing with more force lately after avoiding some throws and easing up on some others upon his return to the outfield.
“I gotta get back the accuracy a little bit, but that’ll come,” Judge said Wednesday after his hardest throw since his injury, an 85.8-mph toss, sailed high into second base. “I don’t like airmailing balls like that, but I feel good.”
Domínguez, meanwhile, has embraced a reserve role after entering the season as the Yankees’ starting left fielder. He and Caballero will give the team serious speed off the bench late in games.
