MLB Trade Rumors | Charlie Wright: The big news prior to last night’s matchup with the Boston Red Sox was the expected, yet nonetheless somewhat disappointing, news that Aaron Judge would be left off the Wild Card roster. The right fielder, dealing with a “moderate” right calf strain, will not be eligible to return until the ALDS, should the Yankees make it that far. On the flip side, though, Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham were activated, and while neither projects to slot into the starting lineup, they serve as key depth as potential pinch-hitters late in the game. Grisham came in to play late in last night’s game when Heliot Ramos was removed for defense, Spencer Jones sliding over to right and Grisham moving into center.
MLB.com | Sarah Langs: The Yankees got off to a great start in the Wild Card Series opener, blanking the Red Sox 9-0 to move one win away from advancing. For much of the night, the clear-cut star of the show was the same man who slammed the door on Boston in their playoff showdown last year: Massachusetts native Cam Schlittler. (Ben Rice had a heck of a ballgame, too.) We turns it over to Langs, the queen of the fun facts, for seven of her favorite ones from Schlittler’s 6.1 brilliant innings of 10-K ball. Here’s one: Of the 56 pitchers to have ever made at least two playoff starts against Boston, only two have fanned 10 Red Sox twice. One is Cam; the other is the legendary Bob Gibson. Not bad!
Yahoo Sports | Bob Klapisch: On Monday afternoon, Judge made one last attempt to prove he was ready for the postseason, taking batting practice off Elmer Rodríguez (the projected starter for Sunday’s cancelled game) and Ryan Weathers. It was, unsurprisingly, unsuccessful, as the right fielder was only 13 days out from an injury that usually takes 4-6 weeks to heal. And yet, the fact that he can even make an attempt at all is the result of a somewhat-experimental medical procedure, PPP (platelet poor plasma) injections. Early indications suggest that these injections — the inverse of the platelet-rich plasma injections that have been used to treat tendons and ligaments — may help speed the process of soft-tissue injuries.
Also, on the topic of injuries, Red Sox leadoff hitter Roman Anthony had to leave Wild Card Series Game 1 in the sixth inning for a pinch-hitter. The 22-year-old missed nearly four months with various hand and wrist issues, and Boston manager Chad Tracy said they flared up again after an uncomfortable check-swing. There’s no word yet on whether the Red Sox will replace him on their roster or keep him around to see if he bounces back at all.
ESPN: Prior to the start of Wild Card play yesterday, ESPN posted their predictions for this year’s postseason. Perhaps surprisingly, the Yankees were the consensus in the Wild Card round, with 18 voters selecting the Bombers, and only six the Red Sox — tied for the highest margin in the first round matchups. Following rounds, though, went much worse for the Yankees, with the Rays the overwhelming favorite regardless of who they play in the ALDS; those numbers turned out to be identical for the ALCS as well, as none of the Central and West teams got any love.
MLB.com | Anthony Castrovince: We wrap up today’s news with a position-by-position breakdown of the Yankees and Red Sox, courtesy of MLB.com. In Castrovince’s opinion, the Yankees are the clear favorites, both collectively and on a position-by-position basis and collectively — so naturally, he picks the Red Sox in three, because “that’s baseball.” Here’s hoping he’s wrong.
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