The New York Yankees swept the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, outscoring them 18-2 across the two games they played on Tuesday and Wednesday night.
Now, New York has set its sights on Saturday, when it will travel to Tropicana Field to take on the No. 1-seeded Tampa Bay Rays in what will be a best-of-five series in the ALDS.
Ahead of Game 1 of the series, they suddenly announced a roster move on Thursday afternoon.
New York Announces Roster Move
The Yankees designated right-handed pitcher Alexander Cornielle for assignment two days ago to make room for Giancarlo Stanton on the 40-man roster.
Cornielle is returning to the organization, which the Yankees announced Thursday. The team will officially remove him from the Major League roster while keeping him on the 40-man roster and assigning him to the FCL Yankees, the team’s minor league rookie affiliate in the Florida Complex League.
Via Yankees on X: “Today, the Yankees outrighted RHP Alexander Cornielle off the Major League roster and onto the roster of the FCL Yankees.”
Today, the Yankees outrighted RHP Alexander Cornielle off the Major League roster and onto the roster of the FCL Yankees.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 1, 2026
Cornielle’s Pro Career
Cornielle, 25, made his MLB debut in the final series of the regular season when the Yankees played the Baltimore Orioles.
He allowed two earned runs over just one inning of work but managed to record two strikeouts against Rece Hinds and Christian Franklin to help the Yankees get the win.
In the minors this season, Cornielle appeared in 21 games and posted a 5-6 record with a solid 3.39 ERA, 89 strikeouts and a 1.42 WHIP across 85.0 innings pitched.
Across his career, he’s posted a 3.91 ERA in 131 games, going 31-33 with 623 strikeouts and a 1.33 WHIP across 579.1 innings. He pitched across four minor league levels in 2026.
New York Yankees Announce Sudden Roster Move Ahead of ALDS vs. Rays