Astros Set ALDS Roster

The Astros announced their roster for the American League Division Series against the Red Sox this morning.

The team will carry 11 pitchers and 14 catchers - most notable in the omissions was Colin McHugh, who pitched well in the second half of the season but did not make the roster, at least for this round of the playoffs.

In McHugh’s stead, the Astros will carry three other “starters” - Charlie Morton, Brad Peacock and Lance McCullers Jr. However, no indication on how these pitchers will be used has been made, as Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel are the only starting announcements so far.

If Morton and Peacock start later in the series (as many presume), the Astros will use McCullers out of the bullpen, which has been labeled by many as a risky strategy - moving a pitcher who’s never thrown out of the ‘pen into that role for a playoff series could be interesting, though there’s no doubt that McCullers’ stuff will play up in a shorter stint.

On the position player side, the Astros opted to carry Juan Centeno as a third catcher and Tyler White as a bench bat. White’s inclusion could be due to his favorable power splits against left-handed pitching, which Boston is expected to fully utilize (read clack’s post) - though it would be a surprise if White got a start against Chris Sale or Drew Pomeranz in the first two games.

Centeno’s inclusion suggests that A.J. Hinch will opt to start Evan Gattis in the first two games at DH, which necessitates an extra bench cater in case of injury or an opportunity to pinch-run for Evan Gattis or Brian McCann - something the Astros should be well-equipped to do with Cameron Maybin and Derek Fisher also on the roster as additional outfielders.

Here’s the full roster from the Astros.