Inside The Pinstripes

Aaron Boone: Matt Carpenter Expected to Make Yankees' ALDS Roster

New York will use one of their spots on the bench on Carpenter, a slugger that was practically unstoppable this summer before his injury.

Max Goodman

In this story:

When Matt Carpenter fractured his left foot early August, the slugger was crushed. With one swing and one excruciating foul ball, Carpenter's magical revival was brought to a screeching halt.

Through that disappointment, however, Carpenter's confidence that he would return before the end of this season never wavered.

"My mindset is that this won't be the end for me here this year," he told reporters in Seattle after his injury. "I'm hopeful that I can come back and contribute. Don't have a timeline yet, but I'm hopeful for the best."

The 36-year-old didn't make it back in time to contribute during the regular season and add to his remarkable numbers, but he's ready to help out in the playoffs when games matter most.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone announced on The Michael Kay Show on Thursday afternoon that he expects Carpenter to be on New York's roster for the American League Division Series. 

Carpenter was recently cleared to start ramping up in baseball activity, taking the final few days of the regular season to get some live at-bats in New York's alternate site at their facility in Double-A Somerset. 

While Carpenter is likely to rejoin his teammates for the ALDS, don't expect the veteran to be in the starting lineup. Remember, he's coming back from a significant injury and hasn't played in a game since August 8. In all likelihood, Carpenter will be a weapon for New York in key moments off the bench, a threat to do some damage like he did routinely when healthy earlier in the season. Perhaps if all goes well, he can start as a designated hitter. That's contingent upon his ability to play a full game, running the bases, and whether or not the Yankees are comfortable moving Giancarlo Stanton back to the outfield.

“He’s looking like a real pinch-hitting option off the bench as long as the rest of the week goes well,” Boone told reporters in Texas a few days ago. 

Carpenter signed with the Yankees in May after departing from Triple-A Round Rock in the Rangers organization. The Cardinals elected not to bring him back after his 11th season in St. Louis and the veteran was close to hanging up his cleats. After joining the Yankees, Carpenter resurrected his career, hitting 15 home runs and batting .305 with a 1.138 OPS over 47 games.

If he can be that same force on offense in the postseason, New York will be even more dangerous on offense. 

MORE:

Follow Max Goodman on Twitter (@MaxTGoodman), be sure to bookmark Inside The Pinstripes and check back daily for news, analysis and more.

Published
Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

Home/News