Yankees announce World Series roster vs. Dodgers

The Yankees survived an AL Central gauntlet this year, besting the Royals in four in the ALDS and the Guardians in five in the ALCS to secure their first trip to the World Series since 2009. Standing in their way of title No. 28 are the Dodgers, the team with the best record in baseball and vanquishers of the Padres and Mets in their respective half of the bracket.

The Yankees and Dodgers have a history unlike any other two teams in baseball — old-school, crosstown rivals from their days sharing New York who clashed in more World Series meetings than anyone else in baseball, including a modest handful after the Dodgers skipped town for the West Coast. These two last went against each other for all the marbles in 1981, and led by the late Fernando Valenzuela, that bout went the Dodgers’ way, though the overall record sways heavily in New York’s favor.

The game has changed a lot since those halcyon days, and if today’s Yankees are going to add their names to the tale of the tape on the winning end they’ll need contributions from across their roster. Here are the 26 players who will get the honor of vying for the 2024 World Series title and a parade down the Canyon of Heroes.

Catchers: Austin Wells, Jose Trevino (2)
Infielders: Anthony Rizzo, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Gleyber Torres, Anthony Volpe, Oswaldo Cabrera (5)
Outfielders: Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo, Jasson Domínguez, Trent Grisham (5)
Designated hitter: Giancarlo Stanton (1)
Starting pitchers: Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil (4)
Bullpen: Luke Weaver, Tommy Kahnle, Clay Holmes, Mark Leiter Jr., Tim Hill, Jake Cousins, Tim Mayza, Nestor Cortes, Marcus Stroman (9)

The starting lineup remains unchanged, with Wells serving as the primary catcher and Rizzo now established as the first baseman with help waiting in the wings with Cabrera capable of stepping in should any complications in Rizzo’s broken fingers pop up. Despite a poor offensive showing so far the Yankees will continue to lean on Chisholm at third base, and hope that their middle infielders in Volpe and Torres continue to jumpstart scoring opportunities by getting on base at a rapid clip. In the heart of the order, Soto, Judge, and Stanton await the right pitch to drive out of the park and do the major damage. Bringing up the rear, Verdugo has the opportunity to cap off a so-so October where he’s mostly done what’s been asked of him with a bit of revenge against one of his former teams.

The major adjustment for Aaron Boone and company comes from their bench, where they’ve dropped utilityman Jon Berti to add Cortes to the pitching staff. This is at least a bit of a surprise since Berti had proven to be a versatile contributor capable of manning multiple positions (including first base, where Rizzo’s hand was at least still of some concern), and as the 2022 NL stolen base leader, he made for a good pinch-runner as well. Domínguez and Cabrera can perhaps fill that particular role, though they’re not nearly as fast as Berti by sprint speed. Notably, Grisham seemed like a candidate for removal, as he has yet to appear in a single playoff game and only really backs up in center, where Judge is obviously not leaving the field unless he’s on a stretcher. It is, of course, possible that Berti is dealing with an injury, in which case the discussion is moot. Most likely, this will simply be like most World Series, where the 26th man on the roster doesn’t end up mattering much.

Update

(It was indeed an injury for Berti.)

As noted, Nestor Cortes returns to the active roster after missing more than a month with an elbow flexor strain. Cortes last pitched in a game on September 18th, and was scratched from his next start a week later before going on the IL and later receiving a PRP injection. His only timetable to return was if the Yankees made the World Series, and even that was iffy — there’s still considerable risk in Cortes pitching at this point, but he’s mulled it over in his head and is willing to roll the dice for a ring. It’s a risk for the Yankees as well, but if it pays off they’ll have another lefty to deploy out of the bullpen alongside Tim Hill and Tim Mayza. Those three could make a world of a difference with the Dodgers’ elite left-handed hitters sure to get more than a few good looks throughout the series.

The rest of the bullpen fills out as expected, with Weaver, Kahnle, Holmes, and Cousins forming the late-inning circle of trust that Boone has rode to success so far. Leiter steps into the formula after taking over for Ian Hamilton as an injury replacement in the ALCS and he was serviceable in his appearances in Games 4 and 5, pitching 2.1 innings and allowing one run on a misplay between him and Rizzo. Stroman rounds out the bullpen, and although he hasn’t made an appearance in the postseason yet he remains a necessary piece in case any of the Yankees’ starters can’t get past the first few innings and they need to bridge the gap, or if a game goes into extras.

Gerrit Cole leads the way for the rotation once again, which faces a traditional schedule of off-days after Games 2 and 5, so once again four starters will be necessary. Rodón will get the ball for Game 2 with Schmidt taking over once the series shifts back to New York, and Gil will get a chance in Game 4 against what will almost certainly be a Dodger bullpen game. This is the biggest area of strength for the Yankees on paper, as the Dodgers just don’t have enough healthy bodies to field a full rotation and have a couple of concerns with the pitchers they do have outside of Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Getting length out of these four could be the difference between a pennant and a trophy, and we’ll see how that unfolds beginning tonight.

As a reminder, here’s the full World Series schedule:

Selected preview material

Why the Yankees can win the World Series
Dodgers lineup preview
Dodgers pitching preview, matchups
Game 1 preview: Gerrit Cole vs. Jack Flaherty
The Dodgers are supremely talented, but not infallible
Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series history