While not official yet, the New York Yankees seemed poised to punch their ticket to the postseason in the last week of regular-season play. The team holds an 88-68 record as of Sept. 23 with a magic number of one to clinch at least a sixth-seed finish. It’s a welcome sight for New York fans, given that they were staring down the barrel of a potential collapse only a month ago.
The hard part for the team, once they clinch, becomes who they want to keep on their roster for a potential World Series run. They won’t have a bye to work with this year, so the Yankees could stack up on pitchers and be more selective as to who goes on the roster. Several holes in the pitching department could complicate matters, given injuries to Clarke Schmidt and Gerrit Cole.
Instability in the infield has also been a concern, especially when it comes to batting. Anthony Volpe has struggled immensely, while Ryan McMahon hasn’t capitalized on the short porch in right field. Their roster for the postseason could contain a few surprises.
Starters: Carlos Rodon, Max Fried, Will Warren, Luis Gil
Bullpen: Cam Schlittler, Luke Weaver, Tim Hill, Fernando Cruz, Devin Williams, Camilo Doval, David Bednar, Ryan Yarborough, Mark Leiter Jr.
Two players are certain to be at the forefront of the rotation this year: Carlos Rodon and Max Fried. The left-handed duo has been strong this year, both registering ERAs around 3.00 and combining for over 380 strikeouts in 377.2 innings. Some control issues persist, surrendering over 120 walks while hitting 18 batters, but it’s still a very dependable front.
Outside of Rodon and Fried, the pitching staff gets very hairy. Will Warren is likely to be the third starter, but he’s had issues with an average ERA, an elevated home-run rate, and a high walk rate. Luis Gil should be in the rotation, but New York is handling him carefully, given that he has lost most of the season to injury.
Everyone knows the Yankees’ bullpen has been a disaster since the trade deadline, sitting with the eighth-highest ERA and surrendering 74 home runs the entire season. Devin Williams holds an ERA over five, though his strikeout numbers hold promise. Camilo Doval’s numbers are worse, while Jake Bird is stuck in the minor leagues and is collapsing fast.
David Bednar’s numbers are the best out of the four, throwing a 2.49 ERA over 19 games with 30 strikeouts over 21.2 innings. He should be the closer at this rate, given his ability to strand runners and get clutch outs. Moving Cam Schlittler to the bullpen could reinforce the front of the line, so will Yarborough. Luke Weaver should return to form, while Tim Hill and Fernando Ceruz present two solid left-handed bullpen options.
Catchers: Austin Wells, J.C. Escarra
Infield: Paul Goldschmidt, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Anthony Volpe, Ryan Mountcastle
Utility: Jose Caballero
Designated Hitter: Giancarlo Stanton, Ben Rice
Most of the lineup here isn’t surprising. Austin Wells, despite posting a negative WAR, is still a strong-enough hitter to club 21 home runs. Jazz Chisholm is having a career year, while Giancarlo Stanton’s been on a hot streak since coming back from injury.
For the infield’s strengths, however, there are a significant number of holes on the left side of the infield. Anthony Volpe is not performing as advertised, continuing to struggle with getting on base and an OPS under .700. He does have 19 home runs and 18 stolen bases, but his elevated strikeout rate and lack of overall production put him in a bad spot.
Ryan McMahon is also having issues adjusting to New York. He only has three home runs despite being a left-handed hitter and has 54 strikeouts over 169 plate appearances. Their defense is average, but their offensive deficits require the team to look for a solid utility player.
Luckily, their trade deadline acquisition of Jose Caballero will benefit them both in the field and at the plate. The 28-year-old is having his best stretch of baseball in his young career, hitting .274/.372/.852 over 36 games with 14 stolen bases. He can also play shortstop and third base, allowing the team to flex the position if their starters struggle.
Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, Jasson Dominguez
There are no real surprises here in the construction of their outfield. Aaron Judge is still the best player in the American League, and arguably the entire sport. Trent Grisham is having his strongest season on record with 33 home runs, while Cody Bellinger saw a welcome comeback year.
Jasson Dominguez, despite being talented and having the tools to succeed, is the weak spot in the outfield. He’s only hit 10 home runs in 120 games while struggling to get to 100 hits this year. He’s kept his strikeout rate in check, but he’s far from living up to the hype. His speed, including 23 stolen bases, easily keeps him from losing his spot to Austin Slater.
The current state of the Yankees roster could arguably be one of the weakest that have gone into the postseason in recent years. It’s certainly better than the 2021 team, but the loss of Juan Soto still looms large over this lineup. Expect Judge to carry this team through the postseason, and the one-two of Rodon and Fried to help lock down the first two games if they get support.
As for how they perform in the postseason altogether, that’s to be seen. New York will likely have to go against either the Cleveland Guardians or the Boston Red Sox in the wild-card. If they win against either, they may face the Toronto Blue Jays in the division series. Their run might stop there, falling short of the World Series again.
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