The Yankees announced their roster for the ALCS, with infielder Oswald Peraza, right-handers Frankie Montas and Greg Weissert as new additions from the ALDS. They will take the place of outfielder Aaron Hicks, who is done for the year, as well as utility player Marwin Gonzalez and left-hander Lucas Luetge. Also of note, infielder DJ LeMahieu and outfielder Andrew Benintendi, both out with injuries, have not been added.
Here is the full roster for the Yankees, as they get set to take on the Astros:
Right-Handed Pitchers
- Miguel Castro
- Gerrit Cole
- Domingo Germán
- Clay Holmes
- Jonathan Loáisiga
- Frankie Montas
- Clarke Schmidt
- Luis Severino
- Jameson Taillon (Game 1 starter)
- Lou Trivino
- Greg Weissert
Left-Handed Pitchers
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
Designated Hitter
The injury sustained by Hicks has led to a domino effect, necessitating some of today’s switches. For the last two games of the ALDS, Hicks started in left field with Oswaldo Cabrera at short, bumping Isiah Kiner-Falefa to the bench. After Hicks was injured yesterday, Kiner-Falefa was eventually installed at short with Cabrera going out to the left field. Without Hicks, it seems possible that the Yanks will use Aaron Judge, Harrison Bader and Cabrera as their regular outfield mix. That subtracts Cabrera from the infield picture, which Peraza will now step into. Gonzalez is capable of playing anywhere, though he hit just .185/.255/.321 this year. It seems the Yanks would prefer the rookie Peraza, who hit .306/.404/.429 in his 18-game debut this year.
Benintendi underwent hamate surgery in early September and has recently been working out, trying to get healthy enough to rejoin the club. However, recent reporting indicated he’s been experiencing continued soreness, leading to an injection in his wrist. With him not able to return, Cabrera could be in line for regular outfield duty. Giancarlo Stanton could theoretically be an option, having played 38 games in the outfield this year, though the Yanks might also opt to keep him as the designated hitter.
Similar to Benintendi, LeMahieu has been out of action for a while and has been trying to get healthy enough to return. His absence has been due to a ligament issue with the second toe of his right foot. It appears that he hasn’t recuperated enough to get a roster spot. With LeMahieu’s lingering issue, Cabrera likely in the outfield and Kiner-Falefa struggling, Peraza has been swapped in for Gonzalez to contend for shortstop playing time.
As for Montas, he was the Yankees’ big deadline acquisition for the pitching staff. However, he struggled badly after coming over from the A’s. He had a 3.18 ERA with Oakland but then a 6.35 ERA after the deal. It’s possible that shoulder issues were hampering him, as he missed a few starts prior to the trade and was eventually placed on the IL by the Yanks due to shoulder inflammation. He hasn’t been fully stretched out and won’t be a candidate for a starting job, though manager Aaron Boone recently said Montas could throw some multi-inning outings.
With the additions of Montas and Weissert and the subtraction of Luetge, the Yankees are left with Wandy Peralta as the only lefty in their bullpen. The Astros are very right-handed, having just two lefties in their lineup, though the two are Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker. It seems the Yanks have a bit more faith in some of their right-handers to face the middle of the Houston lineup, with Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loáisiga and Miguel Castro perhaps in line to try to quell Alvarez and Tucker.
there’s been a laundry list of injuries this year but the 2 players the yankees will miss the most are king and benintendi. for the first time in recent memory my team is a serious underdog
King yes… but DJ (3.9 WAR) is missed more than Benny (0.7 WAR with Yanks)
they need someone to lead off and get on base so either of them work but LF is a black hole whereas dj would need to displace torres, rizzo or donaldson (and they seem to highly value his defense at 3rd)
Chad Green & King both
Let’s be honest, even if those two were healthy, they still wouldn’t be the favorites.
That being said, good thing this has been the year of the underdog.
Year of the underdog as the two top records in the AL face off in CS
As last season’s World Series winner and the team with the best overall record in baseball watch them?
‘Year of the underdog in the NL’ would be more accurate.
Don’t tell the BlueJays.
Weird how both leagues fall under the umbrella of baseball and again, when you have last seasons World Series winner, combined with the best team in all of baseball no where to be found, I’d classify this postseason as the year of underdogs.
The braves won last year with worst record of all playoff teams how is that any different.
Don’t tell the Blue Jays what? That they were the only team to lose to the lower seed in the AL?
As Dusty noted the Braves were among the lowest seeds last year but calling them ‘last year’s WS winner’ fits your narrative better.
Glad to see Paraza getting the call but I have no confidence in Montas right now.
he’s just there for insurance: long relief for a game if we’re getting blown out early or go deep into extra innings to help save our bullpen with the lack of off days
Sure about that?
Well, 28rings, as it happened, he was brought in for only one inning when the Yankees were down by only two runs and he promptly gave up a home run to dig the hole that much deeper.
Yeah buddy! Peraza got added! Apparently DJ is absolutely not ready yet, despite his comment to the media. I just hope Peraza hasn’t gone cold as he was just starting to heat up offensively.
Montas is the equivalent of Chapman right now, for me. Can’t trust he will find the plate when he needs to, and can’t trust he won’t give up a blast. I think he’s an innings-eater, if the Yanks are up or down by a lot (watch, he will be the GM2 SP – lol).
Watch him give up 5 runs in 2 innings.
Speaking of Chapman, I’m mildly surprised he’s not on the roster. Very happy but mildly surprised. Cashman must really be pissed at him.
I don’t think he was allowed for both the WLCD and the ALDS I’m pretty sure.
Thankfully Costas isn’t doing the broadcast for this series either. He was DFA’d to the pre-game show.
I couldn’t stand the love affair with the announcers and the Guardians during the entire series. It was nauseating. And, Costas used to be a Yankees fan, although it seems he detests them now for whatever reasons.
Whoops I mean ALCS
Cashman should have made Boone decide whether he and Blake could “fix” Chapman or not back in August……and if not, Chapman, should have been DFA’d and his innings given to another receiver who might have a chance to earn Booney’s “circle of trust” and actually help the team…..
Chapman knew he had no chance of getting extended with the Yanks and then threw that in their face by not making those team meetings and throwing BP…..this guy isn’t even in the same league as Mariano as far as talent and team…….glad he’s not on the playoff roster….not worth a bag of balls!
costas is a pro, so i was surprised that he made no effort to disguise his dislike of the yankees
It is hard not to be impressed with a team like the Guardians who has spent roughly 184 million less than Yankees. I think many fans of the game were pulling for them on that basis.I think Bob Costas is definitely a fan of New York and probably will be forever but has difficulty to a fault trying to deflect it.
@Joe He did say as GM that nobody has ever not shown up for work. That includes Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Pavano, and Ruben Rivera so yeah it was a pretty bad look for Chappy.
Costas is a jerk & a pain in the arse now, full of himself and should not be a play by play but at best a commentator. Much better pros out there now.
Clipper, did you hear Mike Francesa’s rant on Costas?
I’m assuming Montas is healthy, if so he pitches great against the Astros. He could be a key piece in this round. I think Ozzie P is the best SS the Yanks have and he should play in this round. He and Volpe will be sharing SS next year.
One step forward and 2 steps back….Peraza injects youth and that cocky “no situation is too big for me” attitude….Montas has been pedestrian and will likely get blown up in any appearance, Marwin G has the rug pulled from under him and squashes any opportunity to get some small form of revenge on Houston for not bringing him back…Astros in 6 (as a Yankee fan but realistically probably over in 5) Yanks won’t be able to compensate poor managerial decisions and their shaky bullpen built on popsicle sticks will crumble under the pressure…..REALLY hoping this comment doesn’t age well tho
Montas 2 starts this year vs. Houston with a 3.00 ERA so he’s had some recent success against them – although both starts were in Oakland
Yeah idk why Montas is on this roster. He’s terrible and always crumbles
I doubt Marwin has any bad blood with Houston. He owes every dollar he’s made in this game to his 2017 stat line
Why would Marwin be upset with Houston? Left on good terms. He has a good season the year he left and cashed in on it. There wasn’t a spot for him in Houston after that season.
About time this team woke up. It’s a shame it needed to be on the brink of elimination against a team they should have swept for that to happen. As a result, they’re going to have to get a split in Houston without Cole on the mound.
Yankees are like a stubborn teenager: always taking the long, hard road.
possibly the best comment ever
Poor Luetge, Hicks and Marwin had to go but Luetge has been a workhorse out of the pen for the last 2 years. Pitching Montas or Weissert in a playoff game against the Astros is a huge dice roll.
Yeah, he’s pitched fairly well. I am curious why the moves for Lucas & Marwin now. It just seems odd timing for those two. Marwin has to be frustrated after being on the roster all year though, even though Marwin-for-Peraza is a win-win. Plus LL is one of the only LH pitchers too, which leaves only Wandy for late-game matchups against Alvarez.
It was getting obvious that LL was beginning to have trouble with talented rosters he was brought in to tame…..not surprised at all regardless of his lefty throwing…..Marwin shouldn’t be surprised as his defense on the infield if nowhere near Peraza and they have Carpenter to man first in case of a Rizzo injury…..outfield maybe but he’s still old and slow, with no consistent batting skills that can be counted on…..not surprised at all.
they have no chance of beating the astros without rolling multiple dice and hitting on all of them. montas is an unknown but at least he has the potential to air it out for 2 innings and transform the bullpen. i respect LL but there’s not a ton of upside there
Kind of hurts their chances of winning now. Montas is a huge question mark and more of a liability in a high leverage game than anything else. He’s been terrible with the Yankees since getting traded
The Braves had a lot of injuries last year and still won the WS. Injuries are part of the game with the next man stepping up. A couple of big hits either way could be the difference in making it to the World Series.
Maybe Montas can rediscover whatever it is he lost when he put on pinstripes. Maybe. As to Benintendi, boy, does that look like a bad trade.
Not sure exactly what Montas had “before pinstripes” that warranted the trade that was made which in all probability was. made because the Yankees lost Castillo and had to come away with something…….you would think by now that Cash would be very wary trading for Oakland pitchers who undoubtedly are aided by a pitchers ballpark with enormous foul areas that tend to help ERA’s….Montas, like Gray before him are Yankee busts and Billy B is laughing all the way getting 2/3’s of his starting rotation from the Yankees that are young and cheap.
Montas was 6th in CY voting….in 2021, and was pitching well in 2022, until the trade. Don’t get me wrong, it was an overpay from the moment it was made, but better performance was a reasonable expectation, At this point, with no rest, the Yankees need some innings. Maybe he can give them a few.
Montas has been worse than worthless since the trade — a 62 ERA+, a 6.35 ERA, a 4.93 FIP, and an opponent OPS of .838 with 6 HR in 8 starts. His shoulder injury was known before the trade, and Cashman gave a boatload of talent for him. For all the reasons Rocky mentioned and his awful outing before the trade, better performance was not a reasonable expectation. It was a foolish trade. I dread the thought of Montas facing the Astros. He pitched against them twice this year and gave up a HR in each game, both of which were played in the enormous Oakland Coliseum, not the Minute Maid band box.
Montas wasn’t pitching well up until the trade and if fact Oakland was nursing him along due to injury trying to get him back to a serviceable 5+ innings an outing……that was his first year with even 20+ starts, while in 2020 he had a 5.6 ERA….pitching in Oakland which is very pitcher friendly…..we can debate his worth but the reality of the situation is whether he has the tools to pitch in the highly competitive AL East with success…..I for one doubt it.
Yeah, but honestly, at least we got him and not that terrible pitcher Castillo.
Mike I wouldn’t call the Beni trade bad, just unfortunate. Those things happen.
Nobody could have foretold that he would start cold after the trade, and then get hurt…..his glove and penchant for putting the ball in play may be missed in the Astros series……
@Clipper Sure would like to hear your take on Boone always using an unconventional lineup.
I would think that Bader with his speed could serve as the leadoff man and increase the odds of scoring early.
Hey Rick: Honestly, I’m not a fan. I think a conventional lineup with a more natural leadoff hitter would bode well. Moreover, especially since Bader’s bat is hot, he’s a far better fit for leadoff man than Gleyber, imho.
I think the more conventional lineup works better with our roster…
Those 3 will not be Yankees next year anyway along with Donaldson.
Which three?
The 3,left off the roster. Hicks, Gonzalez, and Luetge along with Donaldson.
Why would they not keep Luetge, who pitched to a 2.67 ERA this year?
Who is taking Donaldson off their hands, he is getting 20 million next year.
Justin Turner might not sign with Dodgers. I’d love to have Bellinger’s LH bat on the Yankees. So maybe trade Donaldson and another player to Dodgers for Bellinger. Since Bellinger is younger, the Yankees add a player. Who knows but sounds good.
Bellinger? He can’t hit though. He’s no different than when Gallo was on the team, imo.
There’s a difference there. Also, change of scenery didn’t help Gallo but a good chance for the former MVP Bellinger. Gallo was HR or strikeout. Bellinger not that type of hitter.
Why would a change of scenery to a city with the most demanding fan base and the brightest media spotlight help Bellinger? Did it help Gallo?
Why would the Dodgers want to invest $27M for light-hitting, 37-year-old Donaldson when they can keep Turner for $16M or buy him out for $2M and put a better, younger player at third base? And why would you want Bellinger’s awful 78 OPS+ in the Bronx?
Donaldson has a year left at 25M…. no one is touching that unless Cashman eats a ton of money and throws in some controllable
Weissert over Luetge?! WTH Cashman?!
Unless Luetge is hurt, leaving him off the roster seems highly questionable. The only sense I can make out of it is that his WHIP was pretty bad in the last stretch although he kept his ERA down.
They should’ve been playing Peraza instead of wasting at-bats on Hicks throughout the ALDS. Oswald put up a 139 OPS+ and .306 BA during the regular season and had better defensive numbers than IKF. Now they expect him to turn it back on after icing him for two weeks, and they’re throwing him into the deep end of the pool in a hostile Houston environment. I hope he can shake off the rust.
Would’ve kept his bat hot too. Now, he may have to get ABs in a couple games before he gets back on the ball.
Yup, that’s what I meant when I said they iced him for two weeks.
Hey guys…..you both know from all your commenting that Boone doesn’t manage that way…..Hicks took himself out of the equation after the injury and IKF is a veteran so he’ll always be the Boone choice over a rookie……
Clarke Schit.
Trevino might as well go to the plate without a bat. He calls a better game than Higgy, but Higgy has at least gotten a few hits lately.
After Montas gave up his eminently predictable home run, I turned off the Cashman shi show.
What’s the deal with Chapman?
He was thoroughly unreliable, and then he skipped a mandatory practice and was left off the roster.
Isn’t Montas a cheater? Wasn’t he caught? Why would anyone want him?
On June 21, 2019, after starting the season 9–2 with a 2.70 ERA in 15 games (all starts), Montas was suspended 80 games without pay for testing positive for a banned substance, ostarine, in violation of MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.
Sounds like he can only pitch well if he’s got the vitamins. I’m surprised the Yankees thought he was a good idea.
This statement is not a criticism of the Yankees culture, only their decision making.
The Astros Own You!!