Yankees Announce ALDS Roster; Burnett Is On, Vazquez Off

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 1 on Wednesday, followed by Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes. Hughes gets the home start in Game 3 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.

Along with Burnett and Logan, the bullpen will also feature Mariano Rivera, Kerry Wood, Joba Chamberlain, Sergio Mitre, David Robertson, and Dustin Moseley. Chad Gaudin did not make the cut.

Ramiro Pena will be on the roster as a backup infielder. Girardi likely chose Pena because of his experience and defensive ability. Eduardo Nunez was another option because he has a better bat than Pena but Girardi went with the better defensive player.

Greg Golson will join the team and be a backup outfielder as well as possible late game pinch runner. Golson has shown the ability to steal bases and play very well defensively. 

Golson and Austin Kearns are the backup outfielders while Marcus Thames and Lance Berkman could be used as the DH.

Berkman could also be used at first base if needed. Her joins Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Pena as the infielders.

Nick Swisher, Brett Gardner, and Curtis Granderson join Kearns and Golson as the outfielders.

Girardi is bringing two catchers; Jorge Posada and Francisco Cervelli. This likely means you will not see both players in the lineup at the same time.

While some decisions could be questioned, it is hard to really argue any.

The Yankees take on the Twins in Game 1 of the ALDS, Wednesday at 8:37pm EST.