The New York Yankees announced their ALCS roster on Wednesday afternoon, but there were a few players left off that were expected to make an appearance.
Notably, both DJ LeMahieu and Ron Marinaccio won’t be active against the Houston Astros, but they could be activated if the Yankees reach the World Series.
However, they did include three new faces that should make an impact in some way against Houston, but the majority of the roster stayed the same.
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Yankees add three players to ALCS roster:
1.) Frankie Montas
Whether the Yankees utilize Frankie Montas in a relief role or as a spot starter is yet to be seen, but he will be active against the Astros moving forward.
The 29-year-old struggled considerably with the Yankees after being traded from the Oakland Athletics. He posted a 3.18 ERA with 9.37 strikeouts per nine with Oakland and just a 6.35 ERA and 7.49 strikeouts per 9 over 39.2 innings with the Yankees. Clearly, his numbers were the polar opposite, but the team view him as a solid bullpen piece coming off a shoulder injury.
In addition, if the Yankees, for whatever reason, need a starter or an option who can get them through a few innings, Montas undoubtedly offers them that value.
2.) Oswald Peraza
Manager Aaron Boone wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice, leaving Oswald Peraza off the roster. This time around, he will be active against Houston, and with Aaron Hicks missing the rest of the postseason due to any injury, they need more support at short.
Boone has already benched Isiah Kiner-Falefa once, so it will be interesting to see if he starts Peraza or IKF in Game 1 against Houston. Peraza is the better defensive option and was hitting quite well toward the end of the regular season, but he is extremely inexperienced, especially in playoff scenarios.
However, if Peraza does end up starting at SS, Oswaldo can feature in left field without any risk of being moved around once again.
3.) Greg Weissert
Instead of Ron Marinaccio, the Yankees decided to include Greg Weissert on the ALCS roster. The 27-year-old rookie pitched 11.1 innings for the Yankees this season as a relief arm, featuring a 5.56 ERA with 8.74 strikeouts per nine.
He struggled a bit making the transition to the next level but was incredible for Triple-A Scranton, earning a 1.69 ERA across 48 innings pitched. However, Weissert didn’t give up a single hit in his final four appearances of the regular season, indicating he found his groove and could be an asset if needed.