Shortly after the Dodgers released their World Series roster, the Yankees did the same, officially revealing the 26 players who will suit up for the club in the Fall Classic.
The only change the Yankees made to their ALCS roster was swapping out infielder Jon Berti for left-handed pitcher Nestor Cortes. Cortes hit the injured list in late September with a flexor strain in his pitching arm and was unavailable for the ALDS and ALCS. However, he continued to work toward a possible return, going so far as to tell reporters (including Brendan Kuty of The Athletic), “If I have a ring and then a year off of baseball, so be it.”
Presumably, he will only be available out of the bullpen, but manager Aaron Boone is surely pleased to have the All-Star hurler back in any capacity. Cortes made 30 starts this season with a 3.77 ERA and 4.02 SIERA over 174 1/3 innings pitched. The Yankees went with an 11-man pitching staff against the Royals in the ALDS and a 12-man staff against the Guardians in the ALCS. By replacing Berti with Cortes, they are now carrying the maximum of 13 pitchers. That seems like a wise decision; Boone is going to need as many options as possible to keep this powerhouse Dodgers lineup at bay.
It’s not necessarily shocking that Berti was the odd man out, considering his poor performance so far in October. Over four games, he had two singles and a walk in 12 trips to the plate. That being said, one might have thought his top-tier sprint speed and ability to play all over the infield would help him keep his spot on the roster. Berti is the fastest player on the team, making him a strong asset as a late-inning pinch runner. The Yankees also have an abundance of outfielders, including Trent Grisham, who has yet to appear in a game this postseason. Meanwhile, Oswaldo Cabrera is now the only infielder on the bench.
In one additional item of note, Mark Leiter Jr. remains on the roster in place of Ian Hamilton. Hamilton was removed from the ALCS with a left calf strain and thus was unable to rejoin the team for the World Series.
The full roster:
- Right-handed pitchers: Gerrit Cole, Jake Cousins, Luis Gil, Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, Mark Leiter Jr., Clarke Schmidt, Marcus Stroman, Luke Weaver
- Left-handed pitchers: Nestor Cortes, Tim Hill, Tim Mayza, Carlos Rodón
- Catchers: Jose Trevino, Austin Wells
- Infielders: Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres, Anthony Volpe
- Outfielders: Jasson Domínguez, Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Giancarlo Stanton, Alex Verdugo
- Utility: Oswaldo Cabrera, Jazz Chisholm Jr.
If they had any stones Stroman should’ve been left off.
Should have been Dominez instead. They still have Grisham. Let’s go Yankees in 7
They didn’t use Stroman at all last round. Berti’s the fastest guy on the team. My next choice would be Grisham. Hopefully it’s a moot point and the Yanks take care of business.
he hasnt pitched in a month to the day. His last appearance was september 25th.
Berti i think would have been the better choice to keep unless they feel the bullpen is taxed but they were up 6-2 in the 5th or 6th inning and they could have had him come in to piggy back the rest of the game or atleast get some work in instead of emptying the bullpen if that was the case.
I think him and cortez are in the same type of use except Cortez is a lefty which is generally more valuable.
Well turns out Berti is hurt so in that case yes bring an additional pitcher.
Stroman is simply pitch saving insurance in a blow out. They haven’t had any yet.
Yankees going deep on pitching. Would’ve left Mayza who hasn’t been used off instead of Berti. He’ll be on standby in case Rizzo’s fingers crumble.
Yeah, agreed. It provides more flexibility off the bench too (for pinch runners or a defensive replacement or whatever). But, I think they want the lefties to burn on Ohtani.
First time the Yankees have made it during my son’s young life, so we are excited about watching it!
I think Rizzo has relished playing with his broken fingers lol
Dude had great numbers in the ALCS, so I wouldn’t put it past him to be just as productive in the World Series!
Good luck to your Yankees gents!
He broke his fingers shoving food in his mouth!
Clipper my son was born in Oct 2010 so I’m excited to be able to watch this with him too. Hopefully we’ll have something to celebrate.
Awesome, man! Yeah, I think just seeing the WS with the pinstripes will be a lasting memory. But, winning will be something that will stick with him forever. We’ve seen every game this year, so he’s really into it.
Let’s goooooooooo YANKEES!
Not only do they have to overcome the Dodgers (easy part), they have to overcome the whole Fernando V tribute, and now Torres (who is an outspoken critic of the north and specifically New York City and their policies) umping tonight’s game.
What did Torres say about the City? I missed that.
This has, “Theeeeeeeeeeeeee Yankees Win!!” written all over it. Ahahahahaha!
Fat little Nestor won’t be a factor!
Sure he will. Giving up the grand slam to Freeman lol.
Keeping Stroman? Let’s sprinkle a little bit of Jeff Weaver this postseason.
This organization remains oddly committed to Grisham, who goes unused while the speedy and defensively gifted Berti is ignored.
Trent Grisham is a LH bat and can run. He’s a good defensive CF and more pop than Jon Berti. Who plays 1B if Anthony Rizzo goes down? I still would put Berti in over Grisham cause he can play the IF and hits a little more than Grisham.
Both Grish and Dom haven’t been used so I guess that it’s a good thing reaching the WS without them.
Just seeing Mayza’s name makes me need a Xanax
Leaving Berti off the roster is a HUGE mistake!! We don’t need 87 guys who can play the OF. Judge, Soto, Verdugo and Martian would have been enough because Waldo and Jazz can also play there if needed. Especially with Rizz having a busted hand!!
This… man. This sucked