Even with a slight chance to come back and win the American League East this week, the New York Yankees are beginning to plan for next week’s wild card series.
While the top two teams in each league get a bye, the Nos. 3 through 6 seeds will battle it out in a best-of-three format next Tuesday through Thursday to begin the Major League Baseball playoffs. The Yankees must gain three games on the Toronto Blue Jays over their final six contests to avoid playing in the AL Wild Card Series.
On Tuesday, the Yankees announced a move that appears very much geared toward that best-of-three showdown, though it almost certainly won’t hurt them in the event that they pull off a comeback in the division.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced on Tuesday’s episode of the “Talkin’ Yanks” podcast that left-handed pitcher Carlos Rodón would start Thursday’s series finale against the Chicago White Sox, moving him up a day compared to the previous week’s rotation and giving him five days of rest before next Wednesday, which would be Game 2 of the wild card series
New York’s ace, Max Fried, was already scheduled to start this Wednesday, giving him the same amount of rest before the potential playoff opener.
Among qualified pitchers this season, Fried and Rodón are the only teammates with ERAs under 3.10. The Yankees have to feel as confident as anybody that their starting pitching can lead them to success in a short series, especially one that is almost guaranteed to be at Yankee Stadium.
Meanwhile, the Yankees will have a big decision to make if they wind up in a Game 3, as there are a few right-handers (Cam Schlittler, Luis Gil, and Will Warren) vying for the final spot in the playoff rotation.
Rodón has finally been everything the Yankees hoped they were getting in the third year of his $162 million free-agent contract. He’ll look to continue re-writing his narrative in New York with a big postseason.
More MLB: Braves May Sever Ties with 3-Time All-Star After Injury Mishap: Insider
