Red Sox Announce Full 26-Man Roster For Wild Card Series Vs. Yankees

It's officially official.

The Boston Red Sox are getting set to take on the New York Yankees at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday night, in Game 1 of a best-of-three rivalry grudge match to determine who advances deeper into the American League playoffs.

On Tuesday morning, the Red Sox announced their official 26-man roster for the series. There weren't many surprises (at least, not after the bombshell Lucas Giolito injury news that broke Monday), but there's still plenty to break down. Hat tip to Chris Cotillo of MassLive for publishing the roster via X (formerly Twitter).

Catchers (2): Carlos Narváez, Connor Wong

The Red Sox confirmed earlier this week that they wouldn't carry third catcher Ali Sánchez, who got two at-bats in his five-ish weeks with the ballclub. So there certainly are no surprises here, as Narváez is the clear-cut starter, but Wong likely gets the nod as Brayan Bello's personal catcher for Game 2.

Infielders (4): Alex Bregman, David Hamilton, Nathaniel Lowe, Trevor Story

There's really no reason for Romy González not to be included here, but the Red Sox evidently decided he's capable of playing outfield as well in an emergency. Otherwise, it's straightforward.

Bregman and Story will start every game. Against lefties Max Fried and Carlos Rodón, it will be interesting to see if Lowe gets any starts at first base, or if the Red Sox roll out a strictly platoon lineup. And Hamilton should be available as a pinch-runner off the bench every game.

Outfielders (4): Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran, Rob Refsnyder, Masataka Yoshida

There are really only two outfielders listed here. It would be shocking to see either Yoshida or Refsnyder patrol the grass at Yankee Stadium this week. The former has been the designated hitter against righties and a pinch-hitter against lefties, and the latter will play the inverse role.

But with Yoshida coming into the series as the team's hottest hitter, it will be intriguing to see if he plays an extended role of any kind.

Infielders/outfielders (4): Nate Eaton, Romy González, Ceddanne Rafaela, Nick Sogard

All four of these players will play different, yet crucial roles in determining how this series plays out. Rafaela is going to be the center fielder, and in addition to playing Platinum Glove defense, he'll need to stay hot at the plate. But it's the other three who could be the biggest X-factors.

Will Eaton start against either or both of the two Yankees lefties over Wilyer Abreu? Perhaps even over Duran, who's been announced as the left fielder for Game 1?

Is Sogard at second base, or is it González, with Lowe at first? And if they don't start, will the speedy Eaton or the contact-oriented Sogard make an impact off the bench?

Pitchers (12): Brayan Bello, Aroldis Chapman, Garrett Crochet, Connelly Early, Kyle Harrison, Zack Kelly, Steven Matz, Justin Slaten, Payton Tolle, Greg Weissert, Garrett Whitlock, Justin Wilson

Holy moly, that's a lot of lefties. Bello, Kelly, Slaten, Weissert, and Whitlock are the only right-handed arms that will be available to combat the Yankees' power-hitting righty duo of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

Maybe, in that sense, it's good that the Red Sox are drawing the Yankees for only a three-game set, especially when Crochet has the ball in Game 1. Beyond him and Brayan Bello, who's been a Yankee killer, the rotation is a massive question mark.

Meanwhile, Giolito's injury cleared a path for all three lefty newcomers -- Tolle, Harrison, and Early -- to make the roster.

Would Early or Harrison get the nod for Game 3? It's a question the Red Sox probably don't want to have to answer, but they'll have to really handle their business in the Bronx to avoid it.

More MLB: Red Sox Expected To Cut Ties with Three-Time All-Star Reliever: Insider