Overview
- The Yankees used Friday’s nor’easter-driven doubleheader as a live audition, starting Volpe at third in the opener where he had almost no defensive chances and returning him to shortstop in the nightcap when he hit a two-run ground-rule double.
- New York has locked the No. 4 seed and will host the Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Series, so manager Aaron Boone is weighing versatility, health and matchups when shaping the final roster.
- The club made roster moves to cover innings and clear space, promoting Brendan Beck, Yerry de los Santos and Alexander Cornielle while transferring Fernando Cruz to the 60-day injured list, which effectively rules Cruz out for the postseason.
- Boone used live at-bats and bullpen work to check health: Ryan Weathers threw a tune-up inning and appeared to have his velocity, Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham remain under consideration as pinch-hit or fourth-outfielder options, and Carlos Lagrange is being held back after a recent shoulder issue.
- With the regular-season finale in jeopardy and a compressed window for evaluation, the Yankees appear set to carry multi-positional bench pieces and are expected to include reliever Will Warren in the postseason bullpen as Boone finalizes the roster.