Jake Cousins is on track to be in time for the ALDS if he overcomes two more hurdles this week.
The Yankees relief pitcher, who is on the disabled list with a strained right pectoral muscle, is scheduled to pitch in the bullpen on Tuesday and face batters in a live session on Thursday, giving him the green light to return from the IL in time for Saturday's game. may appear. 1 of ALDS.
Cousins said Sunday at Yankee Stadium before a 6-4 win over the Pirates to end the regular season.
Cousins played catch on Friday and Saturday, got through it feeling good and took Sunday off.
He is scheduled to pitch again on Monday, and Tuesday will be his first time on the mound since a Sept. 19 game in Seattle, when he left after just six pitches due to a strained pectoral muscle.
If healthy, Cousins will be an important part of the Yankees' late-game bullpen mix.
With plans to mix and match without a set closer (despite the lack of an official title and Luke Weaver largely taking over that role), Cousins will take swings and misses at high-leverage spots. It has the ability to produce.
Aaron Judge missed an opportunity to add to his monster year Sunday – rainy weather kept him out of the lineup – likely AL MVP Aaron Judge batted .322 with 58 home runs and 144 hits. He finished the regular season with an RBI.
He was not far behind winning the Triple Crown in batting average behind Bobby Witt Jr. (.332) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.323).
Judge's 1.159 OPS and .701 slugging percentage are the best by a major league player in a 162-game season since Barry Bonds (1.422 and .812) in 2004.
Trent Grisham, in his third start of the season after being brought into the lineup late in place of Judge, went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and an RBI.
Grisham finished the regular season with 34 hits, nine of which were home runs.
Weaver, who hadn't pitched since last Sunday, pitched eight scoreless innings in the final game of the regular season.
Clay Holmes then pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 30th save of the season, his first since Aug. 30, just days before losing his position as closer.
Mark Leiter Jr. has returned from the paternity list.
The Yankees designated Scott Efros to Triple-A to make room for Ben Rice on the active roster.
That means Efros won't be an option on the ALDS roster unless he replaces an injured player.
