At least a few new faces are expected to join the clubhouse on Sunday, expanding the roster to 28 members, although one of them will not be on the Sept. 1 date.
Manager Aaron Boone said after Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Cardinals that Anthony Rizzo is finally on track to return from a fractured right forearm suffered June 16.
Boone said Rizzo will “probably” play in the series finale after speaking with the first baseman on Saturday.
“He's excellent,” Boone said.
To make room for Rizzo, Ben Rice was transferred to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after Saturday's game.
The first baseman struggled for much of the first two-plus months of the season even before suffering a freak injury on the bases, going just two for 11 with one home run during his brief stint with Double-A Somerset.
Boone said he wasn't “too concerned” about Rizzo's performance during his minor league rehab stint, especially after seeing him take live batting practice at the stadium early in his recovery.
“He's done a lot of volume the last couple weeks,” Boone said of Rizzo's training. “He's getting better physically.”
DJ LeMahieu and Rice didn't see much action in Rizzo's absence, so Oswaldo Cabrera got the start at first base on Saturday.
As for the remaining additions on Sunday, Boone said the team will discuss options after Saturday's game.
The coach said Friday that the team's top prospect, Jason Dominguez, is “under consideration” for a promotion.
Dominguez returned to the plate as a left fielder on Saturday and hit a home run for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The Yankees will also have help in the bullpen, but it probably won't be Ian Hamilton.
The right-hander was scheduled to make a rehab appearance at Double-A Somerset on Friday in his return from a latitudinal muscle injury, but suffered back spasms before the game and withdrew from the game.
“It doesn't seem like a big deal,” Boone said.
Possible candidates include Scott Efros, Nick Burdy, Lou Trivino and Ron Marinaccio.
The team also hasn't decided what the next step will be for Clark Schmidt, who the manager said could start Monday against the Yankees in Texas or return to play in a minor-league rehab game on Tuesday.
Boone said Schmidt is “on track” to pitch in a rehab game, which would be Tuesday because minor league games don't play on Mondays, adding that Schmidt “will be heading in that direction.”
Part of that is because Schmidt hasn't yet developed enough to be a starter, but don't rule out the possibility of him playing against the Rangers.
Boone also said the Yankees “will not necessarily” go with a six-man rotation, with Schmidt replacing Will Warren in the starting rotation and Luis Gil due to return soon from a back strain.
“There's still time off,” Boone said of his schedule. “I'm not ruling anything out. I haven't made any decisions yet.”
Warren allowed 24 runs in his first five games.
According to the YES Network, that's the second-most runs allowed through a pitcher's first five games in franchise history, behind Joe Lake's 28 in 1908. … The Yankees lost to St. Louis in the Bronx on Saturday for the first time since the 1964 World Series.
Juan Soto has three hits and one RBI in 22 at-bats over his last five games, while Aaron Judge has not hit a home run in five straight games for the first time in three weeks.
It may be Judge's most recent historic season, but his longest spell without an appearance is eight games.
