Yankees manager Aaron Boone shared a welcome update from the clubhouse when appearing on ESPN’s “The Michael Kay Show” on Monday.
After missing two months with a broken foot, lefty power bat Matt Carpenter will be on the team’s ALDS roster.
Aaron Boone on Matt Carpenter: "I expect him to be on the roster" for the ALDS. Via @TMKSESPN on @ESPNNY98_7FM just now. #Yankees
— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) October 6, 2022
Carpenter hasn’t played since fouling a ball off of his foot in Seattle on Aug. 8. Prior to that, he was easily one of the best stories of both the Yankees and general MLB season. Carpenter opted out of a minor league deal with the Rangers and signed with New York in May.
The rest is something straight out of a fairy tale. Carpenter, who hit .203 for the Cardinals the previous three years, hit .305 with a 1.138 OPS. The 36-year-old also hit 15 home runs with 37 RBI in just 154 plate appearances across 47 games, for an eye-popping wRC+ of 217 Who knows what could have been if not for his injury?
And what is the secret to the rediscovered success of Matt Carpenter? He is simply hunting balls up in the strike zone and trying to pull them for a line drive or fly ball, per MLB.com’s Dylan Svoboda.
As for the playoffs, what will his role be? Carpenter isn’t much of a fielder anymore, so odds are Boone will use him as a left-handed pinch-hitter in close games. His 53.5% fly ball rate (FB%) will be most welcome then, as will his veteran leadership in the dugout. Carpenter also provides the Yankees with another lefty bat while Andrew Benintendi continues recovering from his broken hand.
This is the true value of Matt Carpenter. Even if he isn’t in the everyday lineup, he knows what’s expected of a team in the playoffs. He spent a decade with the Cardinals and hit .296 in the 2013 World Series. Furthermore, Carpenter has repeatedly said the 2022 Yankees have that “it factor” required to go far.
The Yankees kick off the ALDS in the Bronx on Oct. 11, so look for Matt Carpenter and his mustache power to start socking balls again then.
