Max Goodman of NJ.com has released his prediction for the New York Yankees postseason roster, with noteworthy scratches coming to trade deadline acquisition Camilo Doval and last season’s acquisition Mark Leiter Jr. His projection also excludes Jake Bird, who was banished to AAA after he had a nightmare outing in his first appearance with the Yankees after being acquired from the Colorado Rockies.
Goodman projects a rare three-man starting rotation consisting of Max Fried, Carlos Rodón and Luis Gil. Goodman confirmed via Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake that Cam Schlittler and Will Warren will likely be on the Postseason roster, though they may be in long-relief bullpen roles as opposed to starters.
This means that Doval and Leiter Jr. may find themselves watching from the outside come October, as the rest of the pitching staff is predicted to consist of David Bednar, Fernando Cruz, Luke Weaver, Devin Williams, Tim Hill and Ryan Yarbrough.
Doval hasn’t done much to earn a spot on the playoff roster in his time as a Yankee so far. In 18 appearances in pinstripes, Doval has posted a poor ERA of 5.87 and has given up 14 runs on 19 hits in 15.1 innings pitched. He has blown two saves as his strikeout stuff seems to have been lost with the move to the east coast.
If Doval wants to crack the playoff roster, he needs to do a lot of work in the final two weeks of the regular season to earn his keep.
Potential For Three Catchers on Postseason Roster
Goodman is projecting that Austin Wells, Ben Rice and J.C. Escarra will be active for the Wild Card series.
Rice is listed as a catcher, though his value lies in his versatility to play first base as well, likely in lieu of Paul Goldschmidt when the matchup dictates that Wells and Rice should both be in the lineup.
Escarra would be a true last resort as he hasn’t been with the Yankees since early August, though catcher depth is the second most important thing in the playoffs besides pitching depth.
If this projection is wrong and Escarra doesn’t make the cut, this could free up room for Doval on the Postseason roster, which to me seems like the smarter move for New York, but Goodman is far more clued in on what the Yankees may decide, so he has Escarra making the roster for a reason.
What that reason is however, I couldn’t tell you. Escarra is batting just .202 this season with the big club, and has only had one big league at bat-since July 23. It wouldn’t seem wise for him to be with the Yankees during the playoffs, especially if his omission would allow for another pitcher like Doval to make the cut.
Yankees Still Have Work To Do As Regular Season Dwindles
Although the AL East is all but lost for the Yankees as the Blue Jays have pulled away lately, the Yankees still have to maintain their position atop the Wild Card Standings. The Red Sox are just one game back for the top spot, while the Astros are only a half game behind Boston.
The top Wild Card berth would give New York a home series against Boston or Houston, allowing Yankee Stadium to play a factor in their push to return to the World Series.
The Yankees may also being watching the standings to see if they’ll be matched up against Houston or Boston who are the two most likely candidates for their Wild Card series. New York is 3-3 against the Astros this season, and ousted some of their demons against the Red Sox this past weekend with a series win, though Boston did win the season series handily, going 9-4 against the Yanks.
Yankees Predicted to Make Surprising Roster Decision for Postseason