Yankees Release Official 2019 ALDS Roster Featuring Several Surprises
By Adam Weinrib
The day is finally here, Yankee fans!
With Game 1 of the ALDS set to be contested Friday night with Big Maple on the bump, the only uncertainty left surrounding this team involved the final spots on the roster. Had Mike Ford done enough to earn a coveted 25-man position? Had Luke Voit done enough to play his way out of October?
And who would slot in for CC Sabathia?
Well, we finally have answers, and you might have to familiarize yourself swiftly with a new name.
Ready or not, here we come.#NextManUp pic.twitter.com/yAIWruHDLY
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 4, 2019
Welcome to the spotlight, Tyler Lyons!
The former Cardinals lefty will be manning the last spot in the 'pen, and must have impressed more over the season's final weeks than Stephen Tarpley did. The LOOGY role is now his. As a Yankee, his soft slider struck out 12 in 8.2 innings; Lyons posted a 4.15 ERA.
Jonathan Loasiga, after a strong final few weeks, will join Luis Cessa as the staff's long man, a spot vacated by Domingo German's suspension. Lyons makes it following the unfortunate Sabathia injury that's rendered him a spectator for this round.
Whenever he appears in a playoff game, Jonathan Loaisiga will become the first Nicaraguan-born player in the MLB postseason since Vincente Padilla in 2009 with the Dodgers.
— James Wagner (@ByJamesWagner) October 4, 2019
As for Ford vs. Voit, the Yankees are going with pedigree over recency here, though Ford's locker at Yankee Stadium still bears his name, indicating the beefy Princetonian will travel with the team.