Red Sox platoon issues could play right into Yankees hands in potential playoff tilt

The New York Yankees' hopes for a deep playoff run took a huge hit when Aaron Judge landed on the IL with a strained calf. Judge says that he'd like to be back in time for the start of the playoffs, but refused to lay out a timeline. While Giancarlo Stanton and his calf strain that never ends (it goes on and on, my friends) is a special case, depending on the severity, this can be a tricky injury.

New York's playoff journey is most likely set to begin with a matchup against the archrival Boston Red Sox. Missing Judge, or having him in a diminished capacity, will be a big blow, but there is still an advantage that the Yankees can leverage.

Several key Red Sox bats are left-handed hitters. Last season, Boston employed a lefty-mashing platoon duo of Rob Refsnyder and Romy Gonzalez to protect those hitters and neutralize any advantage southpaws might hold over them.

However, this year is a different story, as Refsnyder bolted to the Mariners and then retired after a putrid performance led to him being cut, and Gonzalez missed much of the season recovering from shoulder surgery and is currently in Triple-A.

Boston's new lefty-mashing crew has taken some hits lately. Eli White is done for the season with a torn ligament in his right foot. Andruw Monasterio has a .798 OPS against lefties this season, but he's cooled substantially with a .115/.179/.115 line against left-handed pitching since August 1. Jahmai Jones struggled mightily earlier in the season with the Tigers, heated up once picked up by the Red Sox and then slowed back down with a 3-for-18, eight-strikeout performance to begin September.

Yankees are set up to take advantage of Red Sox's recent platoon struggles with Max Fried, Carlos Rodon

The Red Sox's platoon issues play right into the Yankees' hands with Max Fried and Carlos Rodón lurking in the playoff rotation. Fried has battled injuries, but when he's been on the mound, he's been dominant. Seeing him go seven strong in his September 15 start against the Minnesota Twins was a great sign that he's going to be at full strength in time for October.

Rodón is a different case. His velocity drop against the Twins was concerning, but he did rebound later in the start and began pumping 95-plus heat. Overall, though, he doesn't get enough credit for how solid he's been as a Yankee. Most fans' opinions are colored by how his tenure began, but over his last 61 starts in pinstripes, he has a 3.04 ERA.

If Tim Hill can get back on track (outcome hazy, ask again later), the advantage will only grow as the New York can match up following their right-handed starters and later in the game.

There might be a couple of other advantages that the Yankees can exploit. Aroldis Chapman is dealing with a lat issue that hasn't landed him on the IL, but could make him vulnerable. Meanwhile, Willson Contreras was hit by a pitch and suffered a hand injury on September 17 against the Texas Rangers. While X-rays were negative and the hand doesn't appear to be fractured, it could carry over and impact his ability to be a threat at the plate.

The Yankees will need every advantage they can get given Judge's uncertainty. If this matchup comes to fruition, they'll be fortunate enough that the Red Sox are dealing with a number of issues of their own that New York can exploit.

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