Stroman, Rizzo on ALCS roster; Rice, Ellis off
Bryan Hoch
@BryanHochNEW YORK -- The Yankees set their roster for the American League Championship Series on Monday, adding first baseman Anthony Rizzo and right-hander Marcus Stroman for the best-of-seven showdown with the Guardians.
Rizzo was in the lineup for Game 1 after fracturing two fingers on his right hand in the penultimate game of the regular season when he was hit by a pitch on Sept. 28. Jon Berti and Oswaldo Cabrera split the starts at first base during the four AL Division Series games against the Royals.
¡°It's just pain. It's temporary, and the 50,000 people in the stands and the adrenaline and what's at stake is going to outweigh any pain I'll be feeling,¡± Rizzo said.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that Rizzo has not faced live pitching since the injury, though he has hit in the indoor cages and against the high-tech Trajekt machine, which simulates the deliveries of actual hurlers.
¡°I actually saw him take some swings in the cage before the Division Series, and I was like, ¡®Oh, that was pretty good,¡¯¡± Boone said. ¡°But we knew that wasn't quite where he needed to be. He obviously has had a lot of treatment over the next 10 days from there. He was pretty adamant yesterday that he's ready to go.¡±
In 92 games this season, Rizzo batted .228/.301/.335 (81 OPS+) with 12 doubles, eight homers and 35 RBIs.
¡°I feel great,¡± Rizzo said. ¡°I've had opportunities throughout my career to play a good amount of postseason baseball, and this is what you play for. The clock is only ticking on my age and getting older. You just never know when you're going to have an opportunity to play for a pennant again. You can't take any of this for granted.¡±
Boone said that the club debated between carrying 12 and 13 pitchers for the ALCS, having rostered 11 hurlers in the ALDS. Ultimately, they opted for a dozen, adding Stroman while leaving Mark Leiter Jr. off.
In 30 games (29 starts) this season, Stroman was 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA (95 ERA+). He¡¯s expected to fill a relief role, with Boone having announced Carlos Rod¨®n, Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil as the club¡¯s starters for ALCS Games 1 through 4.
¡°He definitely provides length for us down there,¡± Boone said of Stroman. ¡°But at the same time, you never know. You could find yourself in the biggest moment, the biggest spot of the series. It¡¯s the playoffs.¡±
First baseman Ben Rice and outfielder/pinch-runner Duke Ellis were left off from the ALDS roster.
Here's the Yankees' ALCS roster:
PITCHERS (12)
Gerrit Cole
Jake Cousins
Luis Gil
Ian Hamilton
Tim Hill
Clay Holmes
Tommy Kahnle
Tim Mayza
Carlos Rod¨®n
Clarke Schmidt
Marcus Stroman
Luke Weaver
CATCHERS (2)
Jose Trevino
Austin Wells
INFIELDERS (4)
Jon Berti
Anthony Rizzo
Gleyber Torres
Anthony Volpe
OUTFIELDERS (6)
Jasson Dom¨ªnguez
Trent Grisham
Aaron Judge
Juan Soto
Giancarlo Stanton
Alex Verdugo
UTILITY (2)
Oswaldo Cabrera
Jazz Chisholm Jr.