The New York Yankees released the official ALDS roster on Tuesday morning, but a few impact players were left off. DJ LeMahieu, Scott Effross, and Oswald Peraza will all sit for the ALDS, hopefully making a return in the ALCS, given the Yankees make it past the Cleveland Guardians.
Cleveland is a strong, young team, overcoming the Tampa Bay Rays in a two-game Wild Card series over the weekend. Luckily for the Yankees, they won’t have to face Cleveland’s ace tonight, taking on Cal Quantrill in Game 1 on Tuesday night.
Here’s the Yankees’ official ALDS roster:
Pitchers:
-Miguel Castro
-Gerrit Cole
-Nestor Cortes
-Domingo German
-Clay Holmes
-Jonathan Loaisiga
-Lucas Luetge
-Wandy Peralta
-Clarke Schmidt
-Luis Severino
-Jameson Taillon
-Lou Trivino
Infielders:
-Oswaldo Cabrera
-Matt Carpenter
-Josh Donaldson
-Marwin Gonzalez
-Isiah Kiner-Falefa
-Anthony Rizzo
-Gleyber Torres
Outfield:
-Harrison Bader
-Aaron Hicks
-Aaron Judge
-Tim Locastro
-Giancarlo Stanton
Catcher:
-Jose Trevino
-Kyle Higashioka
There are a few surprises within the roster, notably the inclusion of Miguel Castro and Marwin Gonzalez. In addition, the team included Oswaldo Cabrera as an infielder, allowing them to feature Tim Locastro as depth in the outfield.
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Manager Aaron Boone waited until the final moment to make his official decision, especially regarding the Game 1 starter between Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes. Ultimately, he determined that Cole would be the best option, given his experience in the playoffs and his ability to pitch on short rest.
Aside from a few surprise inclusions and exclusions, the Yankees ALCS roster looks rather straightforward. However, leaving LeMahieu off is likely a strategy to keep him healthy if they require his services in the ALCS. The team has had success over the past few weeks without him, but he is obviously a huge factor in the batting order and can play multiple defensive positions. That’s likely why they chose Marwin over Peraza since he has utility value.