The Yankees introduced their ALCS roster this morning, revealing that first baseman Anthony Rizzo and right-hander Marcus Stroman are again within the fold after sitting out their Division Sequence win over the Royals.
Rizzo suffered a pair of damaged fingers when he was hit by a pitch in September and was seen as a borderline name for the League Championship Sequence as he labored by his rehab. Stroman was wholesome however not included on the Division Sequence roster after skipper Aaron Boone made what he described as a tough choice to exclude the veteran in favor of an additional bat in a five-game sequence. With the Yankees now more likely to depend on 4 starters reasonably than three, Stroman is again within the combine.
Rizzo has had a tough season general, enduring a number of IL stints and posting a career-worst .228/.301/.335 batting line in 92 video games and 375 plate appearances. He’s one of many group’s most skilled playoff veterans, nevertheless, carrying 203 profession plate appearances — together with a hefty .276/.432/.552 slash in 9 playoff video games as a member of the Yankees. Rizzo was additionally a thorn within the aspect of the Guardians this season, going 5-for-13 with a double, a stroll and three RBIs within the three video games he was wholesome sufficient to face them.
Stroman inked a two-year take care of the Yankees final offseason and began 29 video games for them in 2024 (along with one aid look). He pitched 154 2/3 innings, logging a 4.31 ERA with a 16.7% strikeout fee, an 8.9% stroll fee and a 49.2% grounder fee. Each that strikeout fee and ground-ball fee signify notable steps again from Stroman’s 2023 ranges, and this yr’s 90 mph common velocity on his sinker was the bottom of his profession by a large margin (changing final yr’s 91.4 mph common). The Yankees at present have Carlos Rodon, Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt lined as much as begin the primary three video games of the sequence, which begins tonight at 7:38pm ET within the Bronx.
Noticeably absent from the Yankees’ roster within the ALCS is southpaw Nestor Cortes. Like Rizzo, he’d been coping with an damage and was seen as a borderline name. He’s been out with a flexor pressure in his left elbow, however imaging revealed no injury to Cortes’ ulnar collateral ligament, and he’d lately been throwing after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection. Presumably, they’ll reevaluate him and think about him as a possible possibility for the World Sequence, ought to the Yankees topple the Guardians and advance to the Fall Traditional.
The Yankees will drop speedy outfielder and pinch-running/defensive specialist Duke Ellis in addition to catcher/first baseman Ben Rice from the roster for this sequence. Ellis appeared in just one sport of the ALDS (Sport 4) and didn’t document a plate look. Rice didn’t get right into a sport within the Division Sequence, because the Yankees as a substitute went with utilitymen Jon Berti and Oswaldo Cabrera t first base rather than the injured Rizzo.
Right here’s the total breakdown of New York’s roster as they battle Cleveland for the AL pennant:
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
Utility Gamers
Pitchers
