Yankees' DJ LeMahieu not on ALDS roster; Matt Carpenter back
NEW YORK -- The Yankees finalized their American League Division Series roster and will take on the Cleveland Guardians without the services of infielder DJ LeMahieu.
LeMahieu is still dealing with the lingering effects of the nagging toe inflammation that affected him throughout the second half, forcing manager Aaron Boone to leave him off the final roster.
"Just watching him, he is really compromised, and I just felt like it wasn't the responsible thing to do," Boone said of LeMahieu on Tuesday. "I appreciate all that he's been through and all that he's been trying to do to try to make it work. We're leaving the door open as far as moving forward, hopefully, if we get deeper in the playoffs. But right now I just felt like he was compromised too much."
The Yankees will, however, welcome back Matt Carpenter, who returns to the team after being out for over two months while recovering from a fractured foot.
A longtime member of theSt. Louis Cardinals, Carpenter agreed to a one-year contract with the Yankees at the end of May, a week after he was released from the Texas Rangers' minor league system. In 47 games, Carpenter had been one of the Yankees' biggest contributors, hitting .305 with 15 homers, 37 RBIs and a 1.138 OPS.
"He looks really good," Boone said. "You know, he's had a number of live at-bats, really, for the last week or 10 days now. And he looks really good, and feels really good, especially at the plate. And even these last couple days, has continued to move around better."
Unfortunately for the Yankees, their biggest injury concerns are in the bullpen.
Already down Michael King and Chad Green -- who are both out for the season because of injury -- New York lost trade-deadline acquisition Scott Effross, who hurt his elbow and will need Tommy John surgery, leaving him off the ALDS roster. Effross will be replaced on the roster by Miguel Castro.
Effross said he got imaging done Saturday and was surprised to discover that he needed Tommy John surgery. Effross said he first felt something in his elbow but got the imaging after his arm did not recover following a live batting practice Friday.
"This team, this bullpen specifically, has been super resilient all year," Effross said. "You know, whoever gets the ball in the bullpen out there, you know, tonight and throughout the series, I know will do a great job. Just wish I was out there to kind of be able to help them out."
The Yankees will need to rely on relievers Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loaisiga, Lou Trivino and Wandy Peralta for high-leverage innings out of the bullpen. Boone said starters Jameson Taillon and Domingo German will both work out of the bullpen as well and that Taillon could be used in closing situations.
Additionally, utility man Marwin Gonzalez made the roster over infielder Oswald Peraza, who hit .306/.404/.429 with a homer in 18 games during a September call-up. In 85 games this season, Gonzalez has hit .185/.255/,321 with six homers in 85 games, but he can play any position in the infield.
The Yankees will host the Guardians in Game 1 of their division series at 7:37 p.m. ET Tuesday.
Information from ESPN's Marly Rivera was used in this report.
