Carpenter on Yanks' ALDS roster; Effross (elbow), LeMahieu (foot) off
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NEW YORK -- The Yankees announced their 26-man roster ahead of Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Guardians at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night, containing a surprise revelation that rookie reliever Scott Effross has a torn right ulnar collateral ligament and will undergo Tommy John surgery.
DJ LeMahieu was also left off the ALDS roster as the infielder continues to be “compromised” -- in manager Aaron Boone’s words -- by a right foot injury that slowed him through most of the second half of the regular season. Boone said that LeMahieu will see specialists in the hope of being activated later in the postseason.
“[LeMahieu] wanted to give it a go,” Boone said. “He felt like he could give us an at-bat off the bench or handle a routine play, which I don’t doubt. I was watching him [Monday] and … he was a shell of himself. I just brought him in and said, ‘Man, I just don’t see it.’ He understood.”
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Matt Carpenter returned to the active roster as a designated hitter or pinch-hitter, set for his first game action since he suffered a left foot fracture on Aug. 8.
“He’s doing really well,” Boone said. “He came to me and said, ‘I’d be comfortable however you need me.’ He’s getting better and better each and every day. The biggest thing is, hitting-wise, he looks good. The bat speed is there. It’s not bothering him or affecting him, so right now I look at him as that big bat off the bench. We’ll see as things unfold if there’s more of a role there.”
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Effross last pitched on Oct. 3 at Texas, tossing a scoreless inning in a 3-1 win over the Rangers. He experienced discomfort during a live batting practice session at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 7, prompting an MRI exam that revealed the UCL injury.
Losing Effross is another blow for a Yankees bullpen that has been riddled with injuries in recent months. It is already without Chad Green, Michael King, Ron Marinaccio and Zack Britton, plus Aroldis Chapman, who remains at home in Miami after missing a mandatory workout late last week.
“This bullpen has been super resilient all year,” Effross said. “Whoever gets the ball in the bullpen out there tonight and throughout the series will do a great job. I just wish I was out there to be able to help them out.”
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Fortunately for Boone and the Yankees, Clay Holmes was expected to be available for Tuesday’s Game 1. Holmes was unavailable for the final games of the regular season because of right shoulder inflammation. Boone said that he plans to use a closer by committee in the ALDS.
“It’s not perfect, but we do have a lot of guys that are throwing the ball well,” Boone said.
The Yankees also opted not to carry rookie infielder Oswald Peraza on the ALDS roster. Instead, veteran infielder/outfielder Marwin Gonzalez and outfielder Tim Locastro made the cut.
“It was a real tough call,” Boone said. “[Peraza] was very close. I was here pretty late last night finalizing that. I just think the versatility [Gonzalez provides] … with Locastro on, Peraza is kind of that second pinch-runner. There was a strong case for a little bit of everyone, but at the end, this is the way I wanted to go.”
Here is the Yankees’ full American League Division Series roster:
Pitchers (12): Miguel Castro, Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, Domingo Germán, Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loáisiga, Lucas Luetge, Wandy Peralta, Clarke Schmidt, Luis Severino, Jameson Taillon, Lou Trivino
Catchers (2): Kyle Higashioka, Jose Trevino
Infielders (7): Oswaldo Cabrera, Matt Carpenter, Josh Donaldson, Marwin Gonzalez, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres
Outfielders (5): Harrison Bader, Aaron Hicks, Aaron Judge, Tim Locastro, Giancarlo Stanton