There’s still plenty the Yankees need to sort out before October, but the first thing that matters most is obvious: Aaron Judge is expected to be back in the lineup at some point during next week’s homestand after missing more than three months with a rib fracture.
From there, the real roster puzzle starts on the mound. The Yankees have several pitching decisions to make, especially with arms coming off the injured list and a few starters potentially shifting into bullpen duty on a tight timeline.
Based on today’s standings, the Yankees would open the postseason at home against the Red Sox in a best-of-three wild card series. Rosters can still change before each round, and injured players can be replaced during a series, as long as it’s pitcher for pitcher or position player for position player. But if an injured player is swapped out, he’s done for the next round.
Here’s the early guess at how the Yankees would line up for that first round.
On the pitching side, the projected 12 includes Gerrit Cole, Cam Schlittler and Max Fried as the starters, with Carlos Rodon on the bubble. The rest of the group would be Ryan Yarbrough, Yerry de los Santos, Elmer Rodriguez, Luis Gil and Bradley Hanner, while Fernando Cruz, Angel Chivilli and Kervin Castro are currently injured.
The thinking here is that Rodon stays out of the wild card rotation in a short series and instead lines up to start Game 1 or 2 of an AL Division Series. That setup also points to Warren handling a long relief role if needed, which would push Yarbrough out of the wild card picture.
This projection assumes there are no setbacks for Weathers, who is dealing with a flexor strain, or Schmidt, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. It also assumes both are ready to be used in relief. Schmidt hasn’t pitched in the majors since July 3, 2025, and Weathers hasn’t appeared in a big-league relief game since 2023.
Two late additions also stand out. Schreiber came onto the Yankees’ 40-man roster on Aug. 31 via waiver claim, which makes him postseason-eligible.
His best weapon this season has been his work against right-handed hitters, who have hit just .140 against him with a .406 OPS. Fulmer, another veteran addition, has looked good in a small sample of Yankee appearances, and that experience carries weight.
In the infield and utility mix, the projection keeps Luis Garcia, Paul Goldschmidt, Ben Rice, Jazz Chisholm Jr., George Lombard Jr., Ryan McMahon, Jose Caballero and Amed Rosario. That leaves Anthony Volpe, Max Schuemann and Oswaldo Cabrera on the outside looking in.
Rosario’s recent usage against Boston matters here. In the Yankees’ four-game series against the Red Sox, the right-handed hitter started two games at two different positions.
Over the weekend, he went 4-for-10 against Boston, with a heavy dose of left-handed relief pitching in the mix. The Red Sox may even have Garrett Crochet available out of the bullpen before long.
For a short series, the guess is that Rosario and Goldschmidt both stay locked in despite Rosario’s obvious defensive issues. The roster shape also matches what the Yankees did in last year’s AL wild card series, when they carried 12 pitchers and 14 position players.
In the outfield, the projection goes with Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Spencer Jones and Heliot Ramos. Trent Grisham is the bubble player, while Jasson Dominguez is also available and Giancarlo Stanton remains injured.
This is the choice that feels most interesting: Jones over Grisham. The Yankees may have to decide whether they trust the rookie or the veteran if it comes down to one spot.
The door opened Wednesday when Jones started in center over the slumping Grisham, who has recently moved down from the leadoff spot. Through Tuesday, Jones was batting .400 against lefties in 35 at-bats.
There’s also a path that keeps Rosario off the roster and opens the door for Jones, Ramos and Grisham. Grisham brings a reputation for clutch hitting and power that plays at Yankee Stadium, while Ramos has not produced much overall since arriving at the trade deadline and has had limited chances against lefties. Still, his first Yankee home run came in a big spot against the Red Sox, and that makes it hard to imagine the Yankees leaving him out against a Boston club with so much left-handed pitching.
Behind the plate, the projection is simple: Austin Wells and Ali Sanchez. J.C.
Escarra is available, but not in this version. Wells has heated up offensively since August, while Sanchez is not expected to start any postseason games.
The right-handed hitting Sanchez has been with the club since early June, and the Yankees did not add a catcher at the trade deadline.
Since Rice has not caught at all this season, the Yankees would seem unlikely to use Sanchez’s roster spot on a swap for someone like Jones, Ramos, Grisham or Rosario. Veteran catcher Mitch Garver, who signed to the minors in August, was never called up and was placed Wednesday on the restricted list by the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate.
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