3 boldest Wild Card roster decisions Yankees must make before playoffs begin

The New York Yankees' regular season is unofficially in the rearview. They've locked in the top Wild Card and are prepared for any opponent on the horizon, beginning with the Boston Red Sox, who locked in their spot on Friday.

As the Yankees use their weekend series with the Baltimore Orioles to prepare for the imminent Wild Card Series, there are three roster moves that they should get ready to pull the trigger on. Some fans may view these decisions as bold, but that's exactly what's required to win at this time of year. Throw caution to the wind and go snatch a World Series championship -- no one's going to hand it to you.

3 bold roster decisions the Yankees must make before the playoffs get underway

Activate Aaron Judge and commit to him as the starting DH

The Yankees can wait until the last possible moment to do this for dramatic effect (and to mess with the Red Sox). But if Judge is 100% set on playing, he should play.

This isn't a 23-year-old youngster desperate to prove himself, and thus putting himself in harm's way. That sort of situation would require caution, even if the player was a star and this was the postseason. Judge is a 34-year-old veteran who knows what's at risk here. He deserves the right to decide whether or not he wants to put his body on the line.

Who knows how many more cracks at a title the future Hall of Famer will get? His injury this season reminded us all that there might be less baseball in his future than we previously assumed. Putting Judge in the lineup is about putting your best talent on the field in a do-or-die series, but it's also about honoring your franchise player who's given everything to you for years.

Use Carlos Lagrange

This one will take some stones from Yankees manager Aaron Boone, but Lagrange has all the makings of a shocking X-factor in a wild-card situation now that he's healthy. He's literally a walking wild-card -- a gigantic, surprising reliever option with a 102 MPH heater who has never thrown an MLB pitch. The Red Sox would have absolutely no idea how to prepare for Lagrange, especially if they don't see this move coming until the last possible moment.

This isn't just a random move to stir the pot. The Yankees' bullpen is running on fumes thanks to Brian Cashman. There's actually a strategic reason to add another fresh arm to the fold. The Yankees refused to make the move between doubleheader games on Friday after rumors swirled, due in part to the timing of Lagrange's throw day. That would indicate the Yankees wouldn't use him more than once during the Wild Card Series if they carried him. But ... still ...

Could this move backfire with Lagrange succumbing to nerves, as a Red Sox player getd lucky and connectd with one of his fastballs for a home run at the wrong time? Sure. But based on how Yankees fans feel about Lagrange (and the club's current bullpen situation), throwing Lagrange into the fire would, at worst, end up a "mistake" that would be easily forgiven for its aggressiveness and boldness.

Start Carlos Rodón in the ALWC instead of Gerrit Cole

The hot hand! Ride the hot hand! Rodón has looked much sharper than Cole of late, and while his postseason pedigree is dwarfed by Cole's, the Yankees should be living in the now.

There's also the fact that Rodón is a lefty and Cole is not. There are rumors that New York is considering starting Max Fried in Game 1 instead of Cam Schlittler, partially due to the Red Sox possibly being without right-handed slugger Willson Contreras.

If Boston is still without Contreras by the time Game 3 rolls around (if necessary), go with Rodón and live with the results.

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