Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Lagrange, Game 1 starter among Yankees’ many playoff puzzle pieces
· Yahoo Sports
NEW YORK — The postseason is right around the corner, and the Yankees have more question marks than The Riddler’s suit.
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That’s not necessarily a bad thing, at least in some instances, as manager Aaron Boone revealed that some unexpected players could factor into the team’s postseason plans on Wednesday. While the Bombers don’t expect to have Aaron Judge (right calf strain) when they host the wild-card series, which begins Sept. 29, Boone didn’t rule out a few faces who haven’t been seen in a while.
“There’s a lot to shake out and unfold over the next four or five days,” the manager said before the Yankees played the division-winning Rays on Wednesday. “Hopefully, we have a lot of options to choose from.”
The return of Stanton (and Grisham)?
Giancarlo Stanton, out since April 24 due to three separate calf strains (two right, one left), and Trent Grisham, sidelined by his second right hamstring strain of the season, took live at-bats in Somerset on Wednesday. Both ran the bases, and Boone said Stanton homered while getting six or seven at-bats.
“They’re knocking on the door,” Boone said, but he wasn’t sure if Stanton, a decorated postseason performer, could be ready for the wild-card round.
The manager previously said that Grisham could be in play, though he wasn’t expected to be activated before the final five games of the regular season.
Asked what he would need to see from Stanton after a five-month layoff, Boone earnestly said, “I’m not sure.”
“I don’t know that answer,” he continued. “Obviously, there’ll be conversations with him. Does he fit on the roster? Is it realistic? All those things, and I can’t answer that right now.”
With the Yankees already log-jammed with first-base/DH types — Stanton can’t play the outfield anymore — Boone added that the former MVP would probably be used as a pinch-hitter, if anything. While not a big role, Stanton’s right-handed bat could be helpful off the bench if the Yankees face the lefty-heavy Red Sox, their likeliest opponent, in the wild-card round.
Grisham, meanwhile, would give the Yankees an interesting choice in center field with Spencer Jones handling the position in his absence. Jones has outperformed Grisham at the plate, but both are shaky defenders, and the latter has postseason experience that the rookie does not.
Lagrange to debut?
“He’s in the conversation for something,” Boone said of flamethrowing pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange, who threw live batting practice on Wednesday.
But the skipper noted that a lot of “unknown” comes with righty, who has yet to make his major league debut, only recently returned from a shoulder sprain, and has just eight relief appearances under his belt this season. If the Yankees were to use Lagrange and his 100-plus-mph fastball, it would be out of the bullpen.
Asked why the Yankees don’t just promote Lagrange now, Boone said that they still have to cover innings over the last few games of the regular season. They would also have to clear space for him on the 40-man and active rosters.
While Lagrange is 23 and Stanton is 36, both are in similar positions in that they offer the Yankees an intriguing combination of upside, mystery and risk. Asked how Boone might personally weigh all that as the Yankees prepare to make their postseason roster, he said the club will “make the best decision possible” “if those guys are truly pushing into the conversation.”
“Carlos is in the stay ready [phase]. G [got] at-bats today,” Boone said. “All, at least, putting them on the outskirts of the conversation, if nothing else.”
Who starts Game 1?
Cam Schlittler is the clear frontrunner to win the American League Cy Young Award. So he’s obviously going to start Game 1 of the Wild Card round, right?
“Not necessarily,” Boone said. “We’ll see. Whoever goes Game 1 or Game 2 doesn’t affect the next series. Whoever goes Game 1 or Game 2 can pitch Game 2 and Game 5 in the next series, for example. We’ll decide what makes the most sense, just matching up how we want to go with it. But Cam would certainly be one of those first two games.”
As things stand, Gerrit Cole, who pitched Wednesday against the Rays, is lined up for Game 1 of the wild-card round on extra rest. The 2023 Cy Young winner, now 22 starts removed from Tommy John surgery, has struggled to get swing-and-miss this season. He’s also struggled against the Red Sox throughout his career. With Max Fried and Carlos Rodón also in the rotation, the case can be made that Cole has been the Yankees’ fourth-best starter lately.
Schlittler, who dominated Boston in last year’s wild-card series, would be on regular rest if tabbed for Game 1. He is scheduled to make his final start of the regular season on Thursday.
Volpe at third? McMahon off the roster?
With the lefty-swinging Ryan McMahon putting the finishing touches on an abysmal offensive season and taking a step back defensively, the righty-hitting Anthony Volpe did some pregame work at third base on Wednesday. Boone expects the shortstop turned second baseman to play the hot corner in one or two games before the regular season ends.
“Good to go,” Volpe, who played a few games at third in the minors this year, said of his comfort level at the position.
Meanwhile, José Caballero, another righty, has already gotten some starts at third over McMahon against right-handed pitching. If Volpe shows that he can handle third, it could increase the odds of the Yankees leaving McMahon off their wild-card roster.
Boone said that he still sees McMahon as a “top-shelf” defender, but he entered Wednesday’s game with -2 Defensive Runs Saved and one Out Above Average, numbers well below career norms. Couple that with a 73 wRC+, and the $16 million man has not been a quality player.
“I understand he’s had a couple misplays here along the way, but I want him in the game and the ball hit to him in a big spot,” Boone said. “Offensively, it’s been a struggle, especially in the second half and lately getting it going. But through his struggles that he’s had offensively, he’s gotten a lot of big hits for us, too, along the way.”
On the subject of third base, Boone also said that he hasn’t given much thought to Jazz Chisholm Jr. trying the position again. However, he’s not ruling it out.
What about other injured arms?
Fernando Cruz made a rather adamant appearance in the Yankees’ clubhouse on Wednesday. The reliever, out with a partially torn UCL, repeatedly said that he refused to “accept” the diagnosis.
“I had real good inflammation, real stiffness and irritation,” said Cruz, who isn’t considering surgery right now. “People can say it’s a partial tear, but in my heart, it’s not a partial tear.”
While it seems rather improbable that Cruz will pitch again this season, he said that that is his goal, and Boone didn’t rule out the possibility. The righty threw a touch-and-feel bullpen three days ago, and he plans to throw another bullpen on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Clarke Schmidt felt better playing catch on Wednesday than he did on Tuesday after experiencing some biceps cramping over the weekend. However, if the recently returned Tommy John patient is not a viable option by Thursday, “then we’ll probably go a different way,” Boone said, referring to the Yankees’ postseason roster plans.
Finally, Ryan Weathers isn’t expected to throw live batting practice until sometime during the wild-card series, so he won’t be an option.
With Weathers ruled out and Schmidt’s status uncertain, it will be interesting to see how the Yankees fill out their Wild Card bullpen. On a related note, Boone said that he sees “no scenario” in which the team carries 13 pitchers for the series. They may not even roster 12, he said with so many balls up in the air.
“It depends who’s available and who’s not,” Boone said.