The New York Yankees have released their 25-man roster for the American League Division Series which begins Wednesday in Minnesota. While most of the roster is as expected, there were some decisions manager Joe Girardi needed to make.
Girardi has chosen a three-man starting pitching rotation for this series. CC Sabathia will start Game One on Wednesday, followed by Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes. Hughes gets the home start in Game Three on Saturday in Yankee Stadium.
A.J. Burnett, the struggling starter, is on the roster and could be used out of the bullpen. Javier Vazquez, starter turned reliever, has been left off the first round roster. This is interesting as Vazquez could have been useful out of the bullpen. Burnett is not the type of pitcher you would use in a tough spot.
The only reason I can see for taking Burnett over Javier Vazquez or Ivan Nova is the question marks surrounding Pettitte and Hughes. Burnett provides insurance in the situation that Pettitte struggles through his latest injury and Hughes does not perform well.
The bullpen will have just one left-hander in Boone Logan. Royce Ring had an outside chance of making the roster as a second lefty specialist but Girardi decided against that. The Minnesota Twins have a lefty heavy lineup.
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