With the Houston Astros overcoming a tedious Tampa Bay Rays team, the New York Yankees now have their opponent for the ALCS, and it will be a difficult matchup. Excellent pitching, dangerous hitters, and a well-coached Astros team present the biggest challenge for the Bombers, but we cannot forget about the absolute domination of the Minnesota Twins in all facets of the game in the ALDS.
After the three-game sweep of the Twins, the Yankees have a ton of momentum heading into the next round, but a few injuries were cause for concern. Both closer Aroldis Chapman and relief option Zack Britton suffered injuries on Monday — the former hit his pitching hand on a champagne bottle, and Britton twisted his ankle slightly covering first base.
Luckily, both are reportedly fine and will continue through the playoffs without any limitations.
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone, stated:
“Chapman is fine. Brit, he came in today to get some work done. He said he’s good to go. If he had to pitch today, he would be good to go,’’ Boone stated. “Felt even better today. It doesn’t seem like something he’s overly concerned about. He’ll throw [Thursday]. Expect [Britton] to be a full go with no issues.’’
Boone went with a three-person rotation in James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, and Luis Severino during the ALCS, but had 12 total pitchers on the bench. He could look to add one and drop a utility player or infielder like Luke Voit; however, I don’t imagine that’s a sensible decision.
Adding veteran pitcher, CC Sabathia is a possibility, though, as he’s ready to take the mound and is looking to contribute during the playoffs.
Another difficult choice is to roll out the same rotation against the Astros as they did against the Twins. Allowing just seven total runs over three games would indicate that Boone might stick to his original game plan.
“Haven’t decided that yet,†he said. “May or may not factor who we’re playing. But those will be the conversations that we have, one of the conversations we have over the next couple days. I’m considering everything right now.’’
Aside from the pitchers, outfielder Aaron Hicks is also available to return and provide value. He can play multiple positions in the outfield and has a solid bat when consistent. Hicks hasn’t played since August 3, which undoubtedly hurts his chances given the lack of live-reps.