Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman was left off the Yankees' roster for their American League Division Series matchup against the Cleveland Guardians. Chapman was scheduled to throw a live batting practice session, but he missed it without "an acceptable excuse," according to manager Aaron Boone.
Boone added that the Yankees are exploring disciplinary action against Chapman, who has returned home to Miami.
“He effectively took himself out of at least this round of consideration," general manager Brian Cashman said, "because obviously as a team, we have everybody who’s part of our network here working out starting Friday, and he made a decision not to show. ... You've got to be all in at this time of year. And it’s disappointing.”
Chapman, the longtime closer for the Yankees, struggled for much of this season, losing his ninth-inning job to Clay Holmes and dealing with injuries, including an infection on his leg stemming from a tattoo. Chapman had seemingly righted the ship somewhat down the stretch, allowing runs in just one of his seven outings in September.
