Yankees News: Matt Carpenter Likely to Return from Injury for ALDS, Aaron Boone Says

The New York Yankees are adding a big bat to their lineup for the postseason.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said during an appearance on The Michael Kay Show on Thursday that he "expects" lefty slugger Matt Carpenter to be on the roster for the American League Division Series, which begins Tuesday. Carpenter has not played since he fractured his left foot during a game Aug. 8.

ESPN's Marly Rivera recently reported Carpenter was able to ramp up his baseball activities last week "to the point where he has started taking live batting practice and running the bases." He had been in a walking boot for over a month during his recovery.

Prior to his injury, Carpenter had been in the midst of a career resurgence. After signing with New York at the end of May, the 36-year-old appeared in 47 games and had a slash line of .305/.412/.727 with 15 home runs, 37 RBI and a 1.138 OPS. He had hit under .200 in each of his previous two injury-riddled seasons while he was with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Adding Carpenter back to the lineup is a major boost for the Yankees, as most of their hitters are right-handed. It's not clear if Carpenter will be used in the outfield or strictly off the bench for hitting situations, but it sounds like Boone is more looking forward to adding his offensive production.

"The biggest thing is him getting in there and seeing live pitching," Boone told Randy Miller of NJ.com. "He's had five or so at-bats each day (of late) and now we'll get eyes on him through the weekend and into next week. I'm optimistic and feel like physically he's in a pretty good place."

The Yankees await the winner of the AL wild-card series between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians.