The American League Championship Series between the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians kicks off Monday night. When the Yankees announced their roster for the series, fans noticed a familiar name missing from the ALDS roster: first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who broke two fingers on his right hand after being hit by a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Rizzo was not included in the ALDS lineup, leading the Yankees to start Oswaldo Cabrera in games one and three, and Jon Berti in games two and four at first base against the Kansas City Royals. Now, all three players have made it onto the Yankees’ ALCS roster.
Other notable additions include starting pitcher Marcus Stroman, who was left off the ALDS roster because manager Aaron Boone opted for an additional reliever instead of a starter in the shorter series. Outfielder Duke Ellis and utility player Ben Rice were removed from the roster.
In his 92 games this season, Rizzo batted .228 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs, marking the lowest slugging percentage (.335) and OPS (.637) since 2011, when he played 49 games for the San Diego Padres.
Game 1 of the ALCS is set to begin just after 7:30 p.m. at Yankee Stadium, with Carlos Rodon starting for New York and Alex Cobb for Cleveland. Both pitchers lost their only playoff starts this season.
