TORONTO – Luis Gil is on, Mark Leiter Jr. is off.
To add Gil to the roster heading into the ALDS, where he will start Game 1 against the Blue Jays, the Yankees took off Leiter after he had been on it for the AL wild-card series.
This is not new territory for Leiter, who was left off the ALDS and ALCS rosters last October before being added during the ALCS as an injury replacement for Ian Hamilton.
This time around, the Yankees kept Will Warren and Paul Blackburn on the roster, which still features 12 pitchers, while removing Leiter after he had pitched to a 4.84 ERA this season and did not appear in the wild-card series.
In six appearances against the Blue Jays during the regular season, Leiter posted a 9.64 ERA, giving up five earned runs across 4 2/3 innings.
Blackburn appeared to move past Leiter on the pecking order after joining the Yankees in late August.
He got beat up in his first appearance but since then, finished the year with a 1.50 ERA over his last 12 outings.
The Yankees also carried Warren on their wild-card roster, having him either for length or a lane that they like where they need swing-and-miss.
In sticking with 14 position players, the Yankees maintained their flexibility by carrying three catchers (J.C. Escarra joining Austin Wells and Ben Rice), allowing Aaron Boone to be more aggressive in pinch-hitting or pinch-running for Wells or Rice.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
