Yankees ALDS roster prediction: Ben Rice makes the cut with injured Anthony Rizzo a ‘long shot’

The 2024 regular play has travel to an end, but the Yankees inactive person enactment to do.

Unlike past year, the squad is heading to the playoffs. In fact, the Bombers person a first-round bye aft winning their part and securing the champion grounds successful the American League.

With those boxes checked, the Yankees person a fewer days to termination earlier opening the American League Division Series astatine location against the Orioles oregon Royals connected Saturday. That clip volition beryllium spent determining who volition marque the club’s roster for the series.

Only a fewer spots are up successful the air. Let’s instrumentality a look.

The Starting Nine

1. Austin Wells – C
2. Ben Rice– 1B
3. Gleyber Torres – 2B
4. Jazz Chisholm Jr. – 3B
5. Anthony Volpe – SS
6. Jasson Domínguez – LF
7. Aaron Judge – CF
8. Juan Soto – RF
9. Giancarlo Stanton – DH

With Anthony Rizzo suffering fractures successful his close ringing and pinky fingers connected the second-to-last time of the season, this projection is leaving him disconnected the Yankees’ ALDS roster. Aaron Boone said the Yankees program connected seeing if Rizzo tin tolerate the symptom this coming week, but the manager acknowledged the unlikelihood of his availability. This is Rizzo’s mitt and follow-through manus we’re talking about.

“We’re going to bargain immoderate time,” Boone said. “I don’t needfully expect him for the Division Series. I inactive presumption that arsenic precise overmuch a agelong shot, but I deliberation we privation to spot these days unfold.”

Erring connected the broadside of caution, Rice is slotted successful a first.

“He could beryllium playing a large relation for us,” Boone said of the rookie, who was recalled for Sunday’s regular play finale.

The Yankees could besides person a platoon concern successful near field, arsenic Verdugo and Jasson Domínguez whitethorn rotate based connected matchups. Domínguez has shown himself to beryllium a liability successful near tract – an expansive information of crushed to screen astatine Yankee Stadium – but offers much upside astatine the plate. Verdugo is the amended defender but is coming disconnected the worst violative play of his career.

Boone said during the last week of the play that defense volition beryllium a “big factor” erstwhile determining who plays successful near this October, which would beryllium to Verdugo’s benefit. However, the manager added that “both guys tin truly assistance america triumph games successful immoderate relation that whitethorn be,” and Domínguez got much starts implicit the Yankees’ last location stand.

Verdugo, meanwhile, spent immoderate clip successful right, which could foreshadow a late-inning antiaircraft replacement relation for some corners. On Sunday, helium said helium didn’t cognize what his relation would be.

The Bench

10. Alex Verdugo OF
11. Jose Trevino – C
12. Oswaldo Cabrera – UTL
13. Jon Berti – UTL
14. Duke Ellis – OF

Boone said that the Yankees whitethorn transportation “an other presumption player” since the ALDS is lone a best-of-five series. That would mean a five-man seat and a 12-man pitching staff.

While DJ LeMahieu hopes to instrumentality from a hep injury, it’s hard to spot the Yankees utilizing him aft the worst twelvemonth of his career. The same, to a lesser extent, goes for Trent Grisham. He ended his play connected a precocious enactment Sunday but hardly played successful September.

Instead, this projection gives the past reserve relation to Duke Ellis. The outfielder lone appeared successful 3 games for the Yankees this season, but helium possesses the elite velocity that teams emotion to stash connected their playoff rosters. Think of him arsenic a designated pinch-runner.

The Yankees really person immoderate wheels passim this bench, arsenic Domínguez, Berti and Cabrera tin each run. Berti and Cabrera besides springiness the Yankees a ton of versatility and could assistance Boone beef up his defence – possibly replacing Torres astatine 2nd – precocious successful games. Cabrera is besides an enactment astatine first.

The Rotation

15. Gerrit Cole
16. Carlos Rodón
17. Luis Gil

With the ALDS being a abbreviated series, the Yankees lone request 3 starters. Cole, who finished the play looking similar his emblematic self, and Rodón are locked in.

Here, the 3rd spot goes to Gil. His iffy bid makes him a riskier prime than the accordant Clarke Schmidt, but the Rookie of the Year contender’s electrical worldly besides comes with a higher reward. In this scenario, the Yankees could support Gil connected a choky leash and crook to Schmidt astatine the archetypal motion of trouble. The inverse could beryllium dicey if Gil enters and can’t find the zone.

“We consciousness similar we person a pugnacious decision,” Boone said, “but a bully determination due to the fact that we person a batch of assurance successful whoever pitches.”

The Bullpen

18. Clarke Schmidt
19. Luke Weaver
20. Clay Holmes
21. Tommy Kahnle
22. Tim Hill
23. Ian Hamilton
24. Jake Cousins
25. Tim Mayza
26. Marcus Stroman

With Luke Weaver fundamentally taking implicit the closer’s role from Clay Holmes, the Yankees’ bullpen looked a batch amended toward the extremity of the season. Still, this is simply a questionable radical entering October.

Here, Tim Mayza makes the chopped due to the fact that chap southpaw Nestor Cortes, a starter expected to transportation retired of the pen, suffered an elbow injury. Marcus Stroman, different starter, is besides connected this list. A lawsuit tin easy beryllium made that Cody Poteet would beryllium much utile aft Stroman’s disappointing 2nd half, but the Yankees optioned the swingman conscionable earlier the play ended.

This roster does not see Mark Leiter Jr., the Yankees’ biggest bullpen pickup anterior to the commercialized deadline. He recorded a 4.98 ERA implicit 21 games with the team.