Aaron Judge is back, and that alone changes the picture for the Yankees as they start sorting out a postseason roster built for a short series.
The bigger mess, though, is on the mound.
Judge is set to return to the lineup Tuesday after sitting out more than three months with a rib fracture, but the Yankees still have a lot of pitching decisions to settle, especially with injured arms trying to slide into bullpen jobs on a tight schedule. Using today’s standings, the projection here has New York opening a best-of-three wild card series at home against the Boston Red Sox.
Postseason rosters can be tweaked before each round, and an injured player can be swapped out mid-series - pitcher for pitcher, position player for position player - though that player then becomes unavailable for the next round.
The projected pitching group has 12 arms, with Gerrit Cole, Cam Schlittler and Max Fried lined up as the starters. The bullpen mix includes David Bednar, Paul Blackburn, Will Warren, John Schreiber, Michael Fulmer, Clarke Schmidt, Brent Headrick, Tim Hill and Ryan Weathers.
Carlos Rodon sits on the bubble.
Also available are Ryan Yarbrough, Yerry de los Santos, Elmer Rodriguez, Luis Gil and Bradley Hanner. Fernando Cruz, Angel Chivilli and Kervin Castro are currently injured.
The read here is that Rodon is the odd man out for the wild card round, with the idea that he could be lined up to start Game 1 or Game 2 of an AL Division Series instead. Warren is projected to handle long relief if needed, which pushes Yarbrough out of the wild card picture.
That setup depends on Weathers, who is dealing with a flexor strain, and Schmidt, who is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, avoiding any setbacks. It also assumes both are fully usable out of the bullpen. Schmidt has not pitched in the majors since July 3, 2025, while Weathers has not made a big-league relief appearance since 2023.
Schreiber, claimed on waivers and added to the Yankees’ 40-man roster on Aug. 31, is postseason eligible. His work against right-handed hitters this season - a .140 average and .406 OPS - is the calling card. Fulmer is another late addition who has looked solid in a few Yankee appearances, and his veteran background matters.
In the infield and utility mix, the projected eight are Luis Garcia Jr., Paul Goldschmidt, Ben Rice, Jazz Chisholm Jr., George Lombard Jr., Ryan McMahon, Jose Caballero and Amed Rosario. Garcia Jr. and Goldschmidt are listed at first base, Rice at first base-DH, Chisholm at second, Lombard Jr. at short, McMahon at third, Caballero as IF-OF and Rosario at 3B-2B.
There are no players on the bubble in that group.
Anthony Volpe, Max Schuemann and Oswaldo Cabrera are listed as also available.
Rosario’s recent usage against Boston stands out. In the Yankees’ four-game series with the Red Sox, the right-handed hitter started twice at two different positions.
Over that stretch last weekend, he went 4-for-10 against Boston, which leaned heavily on left-handed relief pitching. The Red Sox may also have Garrett Crochet available out of the bullpen before long because of his lat/shoulder situation.
Matchups point toward Rosario and Goldschmidt having secure spots in a short series against Boston, even with Rosario’s defense described as a clear issue. The projected roster also mirrors last year’s AL wild card setup, when the Yankees carried 12 pitchers and 14 position players.
Judge, Cody Bellinger, Spencer Jones and Heliot Ramos are the four projected outfielders. Trent Grisham is on the bubble, while Jasson Dominguez is also available. Giancarlo Stanton is currently injured.
The call here is that the Yankees might favor rookie Jones over veteran Grisham, who landed on the injured list this past weekend with a right hamstring strain. Leaving Rosario off the roster would open the door to keep Jones, Ramos and Grisham together, and Grisham does bring a reputation for clutch hitting along with a Yankee Stadium power swing.
Ramos, acquired at the trade deadline, has had a rough offensive run and, as a substandard defensive outfielder, did not see many lefties as a Yankee. Even so, his first home run in pinstripes came in a big moment against the Red Sox, and that makes it hard to imagine the Yankees leaving him out against a Boston club expected to lean so heavily on left-handed pitching.
At catcher, the projected two are Austin Wells and Ali Sanchez. J.C. Escarra is also available.
Wells, a left-handed hitter, has been better at the plate since August. Sanchez will not be starting any postseason games, but the right-handed hitter has been around since early June, and the Yankees did not add a catcher at the trade deadline.
Because Rice has not caught at all this season, the Yankees would seem unlikely to replace Sanchez’s roster spot with someone like Jones, Ramos, Grisham or Rosario.
Veteran catcher Mitch Garver, who signed to a minor league deal in August, was never called up and was placed Wednesday on the restricted list by the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate.
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