Projecting the Yankees postseason roster if Aaron Judge is forced on the IL

So much for New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge enjoying a happy and healthy return from the injured list.

After missing well over three months with a stress fracture in his rib, Judge left Wednesday’s loss to the Twins with tightness in his lower leg. Speaking with reporters after the game, the three-time AL MVP said he does not expect to undergo testing, and it remains unclear whether he’ll play against the Diamondbacks on Friday night.

It’d be hard to fault anyone around the Yankees if they’re concerned about Judge missing part of, or even all, of the postseason. As of Sept. 17, the Yankees are on pace to be the American League’s No. 4 seed and host the No. 5 Red Sox in the Wild Card Series beginning Sept. 29. 

For those unfamiliar with postseason roster rules, it’s essentially the same as the regular season: You get 26 players, but no more than 13 pitchers. Teams can adjust their rosters between series, and those who cover the team — such as NJ Advance Media’s Pete Caldera — have projected the Yankees will field 14 position players and 12 pitchers for the Wild Card Series. 

Personally, we’d prefer an even distribution of 13 and 13, and that’s the route we’ve taken in identifying a potential playoff roster lacking Judge:

Projected Yankees’ postseason lineup without Aaron Judge

No real surprises here, though Anthony Volpe (more on him momentarily) would likely play second base and hit lower in the lineup if Chisholm isn’t recovered from his thumb injury. All signs point to Aaron Boone sticking with McMahon and Wells, though we suggest the Yankees have open conversations about both this coming offseason. 

Trent Grisham is unlikely to be ready for the Wild Card Series, which would keep Jones in the lineup and manning center field. Whether that’d be the case if the Yankees advance and Grisham is good to go for the ALDS is another conversation, though we’d personally keep him on the bench as a defensive replacement or pinch-hitter.

Projected Yankees’ postseason bench

You’ll notice that Paul Goldschmidt is missing from our list, and his omission comes as a result of his limited value. Even if Judge suffers a setback and misses the Wild Card Series, we'd rather have Volpe than Goldschmidt because the former can play multiple infield positions.

In a worst-case scenario, you’d likely be looking at Rice or Bellinger playing first base if needed. Caballero and Rosario both have outfield experience, though we’re skeptical the Yankees would carry former top prospect Jasson Domínguez, who was recently demoted to Triple-A.

And as we said earlier, Grisham makes far more sense as a backup outfielder rather than the everyday center fielder. That’d likely be the only spot you’d see him, though, as he hasn’t played right or left since 2019. 

Projected Yankees’ postseason pitching staff

Starting rotation

Barring injury, Schlittler and Fried are all but assured to start the first two games. Those who cover the Yankees have widely predicted that Cole would start a potential Game 3, with Rodón taking the mound early in the ALDS if they advance that far. 

As we recently suggested, though, we have far more faith in Rodón than we do in Cole. The 2023 AL Cy Young winner has recently struggled with home runs, and he's allowed 12 over 52.2 innings at Yankee Stadium.  

Conversely, Rodón has given up just two homers in 31 home innings. If we need to pick between the two, give us Rodón in Game 3 and Cole early in the ALDS, though preferably on the road.

Bullpen

All signs point to the Yankees carrying Warren as a long reliever, with either Rodón or Cole joining him. Although Weathers also makes sense for that role, he remains out with a left flexor strain, and it’s unknown whether he’d be ready for the Wild Card round.

The rest of the pitching staff is relatively straightforward. Bednar is obviously the closer, with Tim Hill available as a late-inning arm. Pay close attention to Schreiber, who has pitched eight scoreless innings since arriving in New York.

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