NEW YORK — The New York Yankees announced their 26-man roster for the American League Championship Series vs. the Cleveland Guardians on Monday morning.
Game 1 is set for 7:37 p.m. at Yankee Stadium. Yankees lefty Carlos Rodón (0-1, 9.82 ERA) will face lefty Alex Cobb (0-1, 6.00 ERA).
Position players
Austin Wells, C
Jose Trevino, C
Anthony Rizzo, 1B
Jon Berti, UTIL
Oswaldo Cabrera, UTIL
Gleyber Torres, 2B
Anthony Volpe, SS
Jazz Chisholm Jr., 3B
Jasson Domínguez, LF
Alex Verdugo, LF
Aaron Judge, CF
Juan Soto, RF
Giancarlo Stanton, DH
Trent Grisham, OF
Pitchers
Gerrit Cole, RHP
Carlos Rodón, LHP
Luis Gil, RHP
Clarke Schmidt, RHP
Luke Weaver, RHP
Tommy Kahnle, RHP
Jake Cousins, RHP
Ian Hamilton, RHP
Clay Holmes, RHP
Tim Hill, LHP
Tim Mayza, LHP
Marcus Stroman, RHP
Stroman returns
The Yankees went with 15 position players and 11 pitchers in the ALDS but couldn’t use that strategy in the best-of-seven ALCS. For one, they used only three starting pitchers in the ALDS; they’ll use four in the ALCS. They’ve already announced their starters for the first four games of the series: Carlos Rodón, Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil.
The Yankees entered the ALDS viewing Schmidt or Gil as possible long relievers. They ultimately decided to start Schmidt, while not using Gil in any of the four games against Kansas City. Because both will start this round, the Yankees needed someone who could provide length out of the bullpen, which Marcus Stroman can do. The Yankees had Stroman throw live batting practice last week to keep him fresh and his pitch count high in case he’s needed in the ALCS. However, it’s still more likely than not that Stroman won’t see the mound unless the Yankees need to fill low-leverage innings in bulk.
Nestor Cortes threw a 20-pitch bullpen session on Sunday while trying to recover from a flexor strain in his left arm, but the risk was too great to expedite his recovery this quickly. Mark Leiter Jr., the team’s main pitching addition at the trade deadline, remained off the postseason roster. In the event of an injury to a reliever on the roster, Leiter would likely be the first choice as a replacement. — Kirschner
Rizzo back
Anthony Rizzo was a surprise addition.
The New York Yankees first baseman broke the ring and pinky fingers on his right hand when he was hit by a pitch in the penultimate game of the regular season. But apparently he’s recovered enough to be an option for the Yankees, who started Oswaldo Cabrera and Jon Berti at the position in the ALDS. Rizzo, a veteran, won a World Series with the Chicago Cubs in 2016. He knows what it takes to go the distance.
But it’s unclear how the Yankees plan to use Rizzo. He wasn’t seen on the field hitting in Sunday’s workout, though he did do some defensive work. Cabrera had relatively little experience at first base going into the postseason and for Berti, Game 2 of the ALDS was his first time playing there in a game that counted. But both players performed well defensively and had solid at-bats. Rizzo had another down season at the plate and hit .247 with a .660 OPS in 22 games in September.
The Yankees had carried rookie first baseman Ben Rice and pinch runner Duke Ellis on their ALDS roster, but they didn’t make it this time around. Jasson Domínguez and Berti will now become the Yankees’ top pinch-running threats. — Kuty
(Top photo of Marcus Stroman: Elsa/Getty Images)
