Here’s how the Yankees are preparing for the Royals after not playing for five days
If you’re looking for a potentially good sign for the Royals heading into the American League Division Series, there’s this: The Yankees lost five of their first seven games after the All-Star Game this season.
That’s noteworthy because it was the last time the Yankees players had a multi-day break from playing games.
As the American League’s top-seeded team, the Yankees will have had five days off before facing the Royals on Saturday night in Game 1.
“It’s a little bit tougher (having the long layoff),” Yankees outfielder Alex Verdugo told the New York Post. “It’s kind of like another All-Star break, so we’re just going to have to do a good job on Tuesday and the next couple days before the ALDS. We have to make sure our workouts are keeping the same energy and having some intensity to it.”
New York manager Aaron Boone told the Associated Press last week he planned to bring some of the franchise’s minor-league players to Yankee Stadium. That would give the team’s hitters a chance to face live pitching.
“We’ll do our best to prioritize taking advantage of the rest, which I’m sure several guys at this time of the year will benefit from,” Boone told the AP. “But we’re also trying to make sure we keep that mental edge and keep guys as sharp as we possibly can with live looks.”
The first-round bye didn’t prove beneficial to three teams in last year’s playoffs. The Braves, Orioles and Dodgers all were beaten after getting the extra rest. Only the Astros advanced as the higher seed out of the Division Series round.
In 2022, both top seeds in the National League lost in that round, but the Astros and Yankees won their series.
The Post story said the Yankees took Monday off, then planned workouts and simulated games the rest of the week.
“Hopefully (we) prepare in a great way to go out and win a series,” Boone told the Post. “That’s where the focus will be, but it’s also a chance to catch your breath a little bit and guys to get a little break. But also understanding the task at hand in front of us. We’ll be really focused on that and more and more each day as the week unfolds.”
Stats of note
Michael Wacha will start Game 1 for the Royals with Cole Ragans taking the ball in Game 2. The Royals haven’t announced a Game 3 starter, but Seth Lugo would be on full rest if he gets the nod.
A Yankees fan shared an X post with how some New York players have fared against those three Royals starters in their careers. “This series will not be easy,” the fan wrote.
Aaron Judge: 1-28 (.036)
Jazz Chisholm: 1-18 (.055)
Giancarlo Stanton: 7-34, 2 HR (.205)
Anthony Volpe: 0-11 (.000)
Juan Soto: 8-26, 2 HR (.307)
Gleyber Torres: 4-29 (.138)
Here is a breakdown of how Yankees batters have done against Wacha from Max Goodman of the Star-Ledger. Wacha didn’t pitch against the Yankees this season.
Ragans had a 3.00 ERA with seven strikeouts in six innings during his lone start against the Yankees in 2024. Lugo had a 2.57 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 14 innings this year against New York.
