The Yankees and Twins need to have their 25-man rosters for the AL wild-card game turned in to Major League Baseball by 10 a.m. Tuesday.
According to Joe Girardi, the Yankees are likely to carry nine or 10 pitchers.
“That allows us to take 15 position players,” he said.
With the Yankees set in the infield, catcher, left field and right field, Girardi has three names for two spots and will have to decide who isn’t in the lineup from among Chase Headley, Aaron Hicks and Jacoby Ellsbury.
At this point, Matt Holliday is likely a bench player to hit against a lefty later in the game. Holliday stopped a 52-at-bat homerless streak with a seventh-inning homer in Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the Blue Jays.
One way Girardi can go is to play Hicks in center field, DH Ellsbury and have Headley’s bat available from either side of the plate if he needs a pinch hitter.
Girardi used Headley as the DH against Twins starter Ervin Santana on Sept. 18, and Headley went 1-for-3. Lifetime, Headley is 4-for-13 (.308) against Santana. Hicks, who was hurt, didn’t face Santana. Ellsbury is 11-for-37 (.297) against Santana. Ellsbury went 1-for-2 and reached on catcher’s interference Sept. 18.
When the Yankees faced Astros lefty Dallas Keuchel in the 2015 wild-card game at Yankee Stadium, Girardi didn’t start the left-handed-hitting Ellsbury. Instead, Chris Young started in left field in the 3-0 loss. Ellsbury entered the game and went 0-for-1.
Considering Ellsbury was in the second leg of a seven-year deal worth $153 million, Girardi was criticized for benching him. However, there is a huge difference between Ellsbury’s 2015 September and this season’s final month.
Ellsbury’s final 29 games (26 starts) in 2015 produced a .202 (23-for-114) average with a .245 on-base percentage. This season Ellsbury hit .337 (29-for-86) in the final 27 games (24 starts) with a .436 on-base percentage.
Ellsbury fouled a ball off his right foot Saturday and wasn’t in Sunday’s lineup but Girardi said Ellsbury was fine.
Headley’s solid season in which he batted .273 after a slow start finished on a downer. In the final nine games, Headley batted .161 (5-for-31).
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and head of amateur scouting Damon Oppenheimer presented Aaron Judge with a Waterford Crystal gavel before Sunday’s game in recognition of Judge breaking Joe DiMaggio’s Yankees rookie home run record. DiMaggio hit 29 in 1936. Judge finished with an AL-leading 52.
Jordan Montgomery’s first big league season ended Sunday, when he allowed a run and two hits in 5 ¹/₃ innings of the loss to the Jays.
“You can always do better, but it is a good start,’’ said the left-hander, who finished 9-7 with a 3.88 ERA in 29 starts.
Montgomery, 24, is being counted on to be a big part of what many believe is going to be a very bright Yankees future based on the development of Judge, Gary Sanchez, Luis Severino and Greg Bird.
“It’s the best time to be young and a Yankee right now,’’ Montgomery said.
Girardi didn’t rule Montgomery out of being on a postseason roster, although he won’t be part of the pitching staff for Tuesday’s wild-card game.
Adam Warren pitched Sunday for the first time since Sept. 1 due to lower back spasms. Warren faced three batters and retired them all, striking out one.
“There are some decisions we have to make,’’ Girardi said about what pitchers he puts on the wild-card roster. “I thought he threw the ball really well. So we will sit down and talk about what our roster is going to be.’’
The Yankees are considering putting infielder Tyler Wade on the roster for the wild-card game and beyond should they advance. He’d be used as a pinch runner.
Wade singled in the fourth inning and broke for second before left-handed pitcher Brett Anderson threw to first. Initially, Wade was called safe at second but a Blue Jays challenge was upheld and Wade was out.