NEW YORK -- American League Cy Young Award favorite Cam Schlittler will start for the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the best-of-three wild-card series Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox, the team announced Sunday.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone elected Schlittler over left-hander Max Fried, who will start Game 2 on Wednesday. Gerrit Cole will get the nod if the series goes to a Game 3 on Thursday, and Carlos Rodon, the team's No. 4 starter, is available out of the bullpen for the series. All three games will be played at Yankee Stadium.
"Obviously, Cam's going to win the Cy Young Award and been the best pitcher in the league and has earned the right to have that," Boone said. "But there's just working through the 'Do we want him in the Game 2 scenario with a chance to move on and slam the door or if your back's against the wall?' Kind of flushing that out a little bit. Just all things I was considering."
Sorting out the rotation is just one of several items on the Yankees' docket before they must submit their roster Tuesday morning. Among decisions: whether to include three-time MVP Aaron Judge (calf), designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (calf), center fielder Trent Grisham (hamstring) and left-hander Ryan Weathers (forearm) on the roster.
Judge, according to Boone, has not resumed baseball activities since suffering a moderate grade calf strain Sept. 16.
"Just still rehabbing stuff," Boone said. "Started to do some plyos. I know he was on the treadmill a little bit yesterday. So not a whole lot yet. "
Stanton hasn't played in a game since April because of three different calf strains. He faced live pitching twice last week, including Friday at Yankee Stadium. Boone has hinted that Stanton could be used exclusively as a pinch hitter if he's on the wild-card roster.
Weathers threw 15 pitches in a live batting practice session Friday against Stanton and Grisham. He said Sunday that he emerged from the test healthy. The Yankees are considering him for a relief role knowing that he would be limited to one-inning appearances on nonconsecutive days.
"I really like where Weathers is at," Boone said. "Just watching his live [session], he looked healthy. I think the question will come down to, 'Do we want him to potentially throw [live] again and be more of a ready-made option than a one-shot with him?' That's one of the things we're still considering right now."
Boone's choice between Schlittler and Fried appeared simple on paper.
Schlittler, 25, is coming off a historic regular season. He finished with 239 strikeouts and a 1.95 ERA -- the third-best mark in franchise history. Most importantly, he and Will Warren were the team's only starters who avoided the injured list. Schlitter was the group's anchor in his first full major league campaign.
The right-hander's standing as the team's ace was never questioned by Yankees decision-makers. But the club pondered whether to give him an extra day of rest and have him ready for Game 2 when the team could slam the door on Boston or stave off elimination.
Schlittler made three of his last five regular-season starts on standard rest. He made his 33rd and final start was a tuneup outing against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday in which he threw 70 pitches over three innings. He finished the season with 193⅔ innings pitched, 40 more than his previous high in a professional season.
Schlittler and Fried threw side sessions at Yankee Stadium on Sunday before the team's scheduled regular-season finale against the Baltimore Orioles, which was canceled due to inclement weather. Boone said he made his decision -- and informed both pitchers -- Sunday morning. Schlittler, Boone said, was "half asleep on the training table" when given the news.
"He'll be ready go," Boone said. "We talked a little bit about it a couple days ago. I talked to him a little bit, having not made my decision, obviously, yet. He's excited. He wants the ball, and he's ready to go."
Should the Yankees advance to the best-of-five division series against the Rays, Schlittler will be lined up to start Game 2 on an extra day's rest and, if necessary, Game 5 on regular rest. Fried would start in Game 3.
Fried, 32, who had two stays on the injured list due to a bone bruise in his left elbow, posted a 2.80 ERA in 20 starts this season. He initially missed more than two months from mid-May to the end of July and another two weeks in August with a milder version of the injury.
He surrendered four runs across 6⅔ innings in his final regular-season outing Sept. 22 against the Rays. He will start Game 2 against Boston on seven days' rest. Cole, who last pitched Sept. 23, would take the ball Thursday on seven days' rest. Boone said he expects Rodon, who has recorded a 1.89 ERA in seven starts since coming off the injured list in August, to be on the roster as a reliever.
"I really feel like you can say that about all four of those guys right now," Boone said. "So, yeah, it was something we debated and different people had different stances on it. And I kind of considered both things but ultimately decided this is the way I want to go."