Boston is in a very bad spot going into this important series because they don’t have rookie star Roman Anthony. His oblique injury on September 2 against Cleveland is still affecting their chances of winning the championship. Anthony, who had 2.7 fWAR in just 71 games and came through in the clutch against the Yankees during the regular season, is still in Fort Myers recovering from a strained oblique that he got while batting in the fourth inning of Boston’s 11-7 win over the Guardians. The Red Sox offense could still make the playoffs despite losing their young star. However, Anthony’s absence takes away a dynamic element that had been giving the Yankees’ pitching a lot of trouble.
Anthony Volpe, on the other hand, has become the Yankees’ most important X-factor after going through his own problems this season. According to The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner, insider analysis says that Volpe has had a disappointing third year, which has made people wonder if he is still the Yankees’ shortstop of the future. He has been a negative on both offense and defense, even though he was one of the team’s best hitters last season. The shortstop, on the other hand, has recently shown signs of getting out of his campaign problems. After getting treatment during the Minnesota Twins series, he hit .321/.367/.429 with a 125 wRC+ in his last 30 plate appearances.
Volpe’s recent game against Baltimore showed how much he could help the team. He threw two balls over 100 mph that were outs, including a flyout that would have cleared the fence in Cleveland. If the Yankees can get any kind of production out of Volpe during this important series, their lineup will be much deeper and more dangerous. His ability to bounce back could be very important as the Yankees try to make up for their weak defense and bullpen problems with a strong offense.
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“It feels like you can go out and play and do what you’re trying to do,” Volpe told Greg Joyce of the New York Post about his health. “We’re here for hours before the game, and you can pretty much test and see where you’re at every day. It just feels good to feel like you progress all the way to the game instead of doing stuff that doesn’t necessarily feel like it’s helping.” Volpe’s renewed confidence and better plate discipline could be the start of something big that could help the Yankees win the championship at the most important time.
The Yankees are feeling better about their shortstop situation, but their opponents across the field have to make just as important roster choices that could affect the outcome of this Wild Card Series.
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Red Sox keep roster strategy under wraps
While Volpe’s health issues are making news on the Yankees side, the Boston Red Sox have to make their own strategic choices before Tuesday’s opener. Manager Alex Cora has been careful not to say too much about how he built his playoff roster, but one mystery about the roster has finally been solved.
The interest was mostly in Ali Sánchez, whose roundabout journey back to Boston led to questions about whether he would be included in the postseason. After leaving the Toronto Blue Jays, making a brief appearance in Boston, joining the New York Mets, and then coming back as an emergency third catcher through a trade, Sánchez’s four-game stint at the end of the season led to discussions about whether he could play in the playoffs.
Tim Healey of the Boston Globe said, “The Red Sox plan to carry two catchers for the first round of the playoffs,” which put an end to the Sánchez rumors. Carlos Narváez and Connor Wong will be the catchers, and Sánchez will watch from the sidelines, even though he has a unique way of getting back to Fenway Park.
Boston can keep its full roster secret until Tuesday morning, giving it more options before the 6:08 p.m. ET first pitch. Cora can make last-minute changes based on matchups and health reports thanks to this timing advantage. This makes sure that the Red Sox have the best possible lineup against their storied rivals without giving away their plans too soon.