MLB Notebook: Division Series takes center stage as baseball’s biggest arms take over October

The MLB postseason rolls on this weekend as the Division Series gets underway, with eight teams remaining in the chase for a World Series championship.

After a quick Wild Card round, the field has been cut in half, and the stakes only get higher from here. Four best-of-five series will determine who advances to the ALCS and NLCS, with a mix of familiar October contenders, division rivals and some of the game’s most electric arms taking center stage.

No Judge, No Problem

The Yankees pummeled the Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Series for the second straight year, sweeping Boston out of the Bronx.

New York showed no mercy, crushing the Red Sox, 9-0, in Game 1 before finishing the sweep with a 9-2 victory in Game 2. Now, the Yankees turn their attention to the AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays, and they'll once again do it without Aaron Judge.

Judge, who was left off New York's Wild Card roster, will not be added for the ALDS as he continues to recover from a right calf strain. The slugger has yet to run the bases or resume work in the outfield, and the Yankees believe the artificial turf at Tropicana Field could present an additional challenge.

New York could potentially use Judge as a designated hitter, but Giancarlo Stanton remains on the roster and is expected to occupy that role rather than play the outfield.

Judge would be eligible to return for the AL Championship Series should the Yankees advance.

The 34-year-old missed 84 games earlier this season with a fractured right rib before returning Sept. 8. He played seven games before straining his calf Sept. 16 against the Twins at Target Field. Judge finished the regular season batting .241/.360/.511 with 18 home runs and an .871 OPS in 66 games.

Stanton also missed most of the season because of multiple calf injuries but returned for the Wild Card Series and remains active for the ALDS. After such a lengthy layoff, Stanton said one of the biggest challenges is readjusting to major league velocity.

The Yankees made one roster change for the ALDS, adding left-hander Ryan Weathers and removing utilityman Amed Rosario.

Weathers hasn't pitched since late August because of a flexor tendon strain in his left forearm, but recently progressed to throwing live batting practice.

New York plans to use him out of the bullpen. Weathers brings a power arsenal that includes a fastball averaging 95.8 mph, a changeup and a pair of sliders capable of generating swings and misses. Rosario's strength is hitting left-handed pitching, but Tampa Bay's staff is predominantly right-handed.

Without Judge, rookie Spencer Jones will likely start in right field. The Rays are expected to use three right-handed starters in the series, Drew Rasmussen, Nick Martinez and Freddy Peralta, with Trent Grisham likely in center and Cody Bellinger in left.

Judge's absence also allows New York to avoid some difficult defensive maneuvering. Ben Rice, who hit 41 home runs during the regular season, has taken over at DH. Using Judge there would likely force Rice to first base, weakening the Yankees defensively while potentially pushing Luis García Jr.'s bat out of the lineup.

Gerrit Cole will start Game 1 for the Yankees at Tropicana Field.

Cole had been lined up to pitch a potential winner-take-all Game 3 against the Red Sox, but Boston's quick exit allowed New York to save him for the Division Series. The Yankees opted to give Cole the opener in part because of his track record at Tropicana Field.

The 36-year-old went 10-9 with a 3.61 ERA over 22 starts this season after returning from Tommy John surgery. He made his season debut May 22 and finished with 131 strikeouts over 127 innings.

It will be Cole's 23rd career postseason appearance, all starts, and his first since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series. He owns a 2.93 ERA over 12 postseason starts with the Yankees. Cole will face Rasmussen, a two-time All-Star who finished seventh among qualified starters with a 2.67 ERA this season.

It will also be Cole's second consecutive start against Tampa Bay. He beat the Rays on Sept. 23 at Yankee Stadium, and he faced them three times during the regular season without allowing more than three runs in any start. Cole owns a 3.33 ERA in 23 career starts against Tampa Bay, his most against any opponent. He has also faced the Rays four times in the postseason, including twice during the 2020 ALDS.

Postseason baseball is returning to Tropicana Field.

The Rays will host the Yankees for Games 1 and 2 of the American League Division Series, marking the first time the AL East rivals will face each other in the postseason at the Trop. Tampa Bay has not officially announced a sellout for Game 1, but the club is expecting a capacity crowd Saturday night.

It will also mark another milestone in the return of Tropicana Field. The ballpark has not hosted a postseason game since Hurricane Milton hammered Florida's Gulf Coast on Oct. 9, 2024, causing significant damage to the stadium and ripping apart its roof. Thirteen months later, the roof was restored and baseball returned to the Trop.

The Yankees and Rays have met only once previously in the postseason. That came during the 2020 ALDS, when the entire series was played at a neutral site at Petco Park in San Diego.

The series begins Saturday night at Tropicana Field, where Tampa Bay went 55-26 this season. It will eventually shift to Yankee Stadium, where New York went 46-34 but couldn't prevent the Rays from celebrating the AL East title on its field late in the regular season.

With New York turning to Cole for Game 1, Tampa Bay will counter with Rasmussen. The right-hander has been particularly tough on the Yankees throughout his career, going 5-2 with a 1.88 ERA and 0.86 WHIP over 11 appearances, including 10 starts.

His most recent outing against New York provided a preview of what the Yankees will face Saturday. Rasmussen carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and struck out 11 at Yankee Stadium as the Rays clinched the division.

The 31-year-old has been more than just a Yankees problem. Rasmussen led American League pitchers in WHIP and strikeout-to-walk ratio this season, finished second in wins and ranked fourth with a 2.67 ERA.

Tampa Bay has yet to announce its Game 2 starter, with right-handers Griffin Jax and Freddy Peralta among the options. Peralta posted a 1.69 ERA and 0.75 WHIP over his final four home starts, while Jax, a converted reliever, allowed just one run over 18 innings in his final four starts.

Tampa Bay will carry 14 position players and 12 pitchers for the Division Series. Despite the schedule allowing the Rays to operate with a three-man rotation, all five starters made the roster.

Pitchers (12): Drew Rasmussen, Freddy Peralta, Nick Martinez, Griffin Jax, Ian Seymour, Bryan Baker, Tyler Wells, Kevin Kelly, Cam Booser, Garrett Cleavinger, Cole Sulser and Steven Matz.

Catchers (2): Liam Hicks and Nick Fortes.

Infielders (6): Jonathan Aranda, Richie Palacios, Taylor Walls, Junior Caminero, Ben Williamson and Jorge Mateo.

Outfielders (5): Chandler Simpson, Cedric Mullins, Victor Mesa Jr., Jonny DeLuca and Ryan Vilade.

Designated hitter (1): Yandy Díaz.

New York will carry four starters and seven relievers into the series.

Starters (4): Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodón and Cam Schlittler.

Relievers (7): David Bednar, Paul Blackburn, Brent Headrick, John Schreiber, Will Warren, Ryan Weathers and Ryan Yarbrough.

Catchers (2): Austin Wells and Ali Sánchez.

Infielders (8): José Caballero, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Luis García Jr., Paul Goldschmidt, George Lombard Jr., Ryan McMahon, Ben Rice and Anthony Volpe.

Outfielders (4): Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, Spencer Jones and Heliot Ramos.

Designated hitter (1): Giancarlo Stanton.

Guardians, White Sox Set for AL Central Showdown

The other American League matchup features a pair of AL Central clubs that are certainly no strangers to one another.

The AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians will battle the Chicago White Sox, who are fresh off a two-game sweep of the AL West champion Houston Astros.

And man, are the White Sox a fun team to watch.

That goes beyond what they've done on the field, too. Their clubhouse celebrations have become appointment viewing. Mike Vasil, who is out for the season following elbow surgery, has essentially become the ultimate cheerleader and glue guy during Chicago's incredible run to the postseason. Everyone loves a good vibes story, as long as it doesn't turn into too much grab ass along the way.

From Munetaka Murakami's hilarious interviews during the celebrations to Sam Antonacci creating havoc on the field, there's a lot to like about this group.

Then there's former Red Sox farmhand Chase Meidroth, who has become an instant